by Josie Fraser, Researcher & Writer for the Highland Good Food Partnership
When we talk about farming and food production, we often think about sheep pasture or cereal fields, but of course not all of our food comes from the land. The seas provide a portion of our diet and just like all natural ecosystems on the land, they provide an array of ecosystem services that are essential to life on Earth. It is therefore crucial that when we use our seas as a means of food production that we do so sustainably with as little impact as possible. One food production company doing just that is SHORE, the Scottish Seaweed Company, based on the north-east coast of the Scottish Highlands. Fascinated by the topic, I spoke with Peter Elbourne, one of the managing directors at SHORE to find out more about their sustainable seaweed business.
First, a little bit about SHORE
SHORE started harvesting wild seaweed in Caithness in 2016 after some four years of research and planning into how to do so as sustainably as possible. Their mission is to turn a ‘neglected historic superfood’ into an everyday product, which they are achieving by offering seaweed not only fresh in wholesale but as a selection of tasty snacks.
Peter tells me: “We saw a transformational opportunity to build our own brand using seaweed as a star ingredient. There is a lot of noise about how wonderful seaweed is but it is quite an alien and forgotten food. It has an unfamiliar taste, so we wanted to find ways to introduce it to people and make it easier to use and eat because it is so healthy, local and sustainable.”
Indeed, seaweed is a natural superfood that is packed with minerals. It is high in iodine, prebiotic fibre, antioxidants and plant protein. And it comes at a relatively little cost to the environment, when you do it right.
A few healthy bunches of seaweed harvested by SHORE in Caithness
What makes SHORE so sustainable?
At SHORE, seaweed harvesters walk down from the factory in Wick to harvest sites around Caithness, where they pick the wild seaweed by hand. Peter explains to me the process: “Different seaweed grows in different ways. For example, some grow from the base and some grow from the tips, so we harvest them in different ways to allow them to grow back. We have been doing this for five years now and we are demonstrating that this is viable.”
SHORE are licensed to pick wild seaweed on their sites and they stick to a quota which means they can only harvest 20% of the biomass of each of the 17 species of seaweed they use each year. All of their harvesting areas are controlled and include designated no-take zones. The research on how to determine the biomass of each species at each site started in 2014 and is part of the huge effort made prior to harvesting to develop SHORE’s unique strategy to ensure a sustainable practice and to minimise their impact on the coastal ecosystem.
These efforts also ensure that the wildlife at the sites around Caithness is not disturbed by having all SHORE harvesters trained in the Marine Wildlife Conduct Code. Peter also says that, “NatureScot (formally known as Scottish Natural Heritage) reviewed our harvesting methods and when we do our initial site assessments, we research the protection for wildlife, like birds, around that site and this assessment, along with other criteria, is used to choose our harvesting sites.”
SHORE’s products have also achieved Soil Association’s organic certification which commends the sustainability of their operations and their sensitivity to their environmental impact. Peters tells me that, “This stamp is really important to us because of the levels we go to to be sustainable.”
Harvesters on the shores of Caithness
Is there any harm caused by removing seaweed from the environment?
In 2015 SHORE started an Environmental Impact Assessment which Peter explains: “We have four locations on our sites around Caithness where we carry out research on the community of plants and animals on the shore around the seaweed. At each of the four locations we have two corridors close to each other that are very similar, and that we have been surveying for years. We have harvested seaweed in one of them whilst leaving the other untouched in order to compare them and understand the impacts that our hand harvesting has.” He continues, “We have been doing a day’s worth of survey every year at each of these sites and we are coming to the point now where we have enough data to understand the impact. We can see from the data that there is no change in diversity of the surrounding community where we are harvesting when comparing it to the natural site. This is a good validation of our sustainable harvesting methods and the efforts we have gone to.”
Peter adds, “What we do in Caithness is highly sustainable and we see ourselves as stewards of these harvesting sites. They are very special places and we are very keen to protect them – it is very important to us.”
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Photographs taken from survey sites. Left: researchers surveying the coastal communities. Right: Peter Elbourne
What else is important to consider about the harvesting site?
“You don’t want to harvest seaweed from a busy, industrialised body of water. We have been very careful about choosing sites away from man-made pollution.” Peter explains. “Seaweed soaks up nutrients from the sea, which is why it’s so good for you, but it can also soak up whatever else is there. That’s why it’s important to make sure you are harvesting from somewhere that is remote. I have no pollution concerns from where we are harvesting. Scotland has great water quality and there are lots of controls for this.”
However, Peter goes further: “Scotland on a whole is in a very good position, but it still needs to be managed on a local level. We don’t harvest where there are rivers running onto harvest sites. That is because it can bring land-originated pollution onto the shore. The harvesters are also trained so that when there is a lot of rainfall, they don’t harvest at the top of the shore, they harvest low down.”
SHORE’s future in farming
At the end of 2018, SHORE became the first seaweed company in Scotland to put a farm at sea. Peter explains the thinking behind this addition to their business: “There are some species we have good amounts of in Caithness but because they are on the low shore, there are only so many days a year that we can harvest.” He continues, “We plan our harvesting around the tides – we have really good tides in March and April and then again in September and October. These are our busiest times of the year when we are pushing hardest on production. But there is really only so much we can do. Our farming has therefore been targeted on species of seaweed that we have good amounts of, but that there is a limit to how much we can get from wild harvesting.” This year was the first year with a full growing cycle on the farm and it was very successful which is great news for all at SHORE.
Farming will hopefully open up new markets for seaweed, which will solve what Peter tells me is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces: “There is a willingness to produce seaweed and there is a wonderful product but there are gaps of clear routes to market.” Peter goes on to explain why farming might help: “Farming is all about producing fast-growing seaweed for a wider variety of applications which includes food but also a more diverse range including bioplastics and speciality ingredients.” He adds, “By growing volume through farming there are a lot of things you can do at a lower price than wild harvesting.”
Benefits to the community
The seaweed industry in the Highlands can be a great support for local communities. Peter gives me one example of how: “In March 2016 when we started, we worked with the local job centre in Wick to get a group of long-term unemployed locals for work experience. Three of the original team are still with us and their combined 13 years of experience of seaweed harvesting makes them the core of our crew. Indeed, one of them is now our production coordinator and he knows everything there is to know about everything!” He continues, “As we are driven by the tides, harvesting is not a full-time job but by bringing more activity into Wick, which we have started this year, we can offer more stable employment for people as well.”
Peter adds: “When we started, no one had a clue about seaweed. It has been really good to see the team grow, both through individuals growing and developing and the wider team as well.”
SHORE’s team of harvesters
The serious amount of planning, research and efforts that has been put into developing SHORE is admirable and will hopefully be an inspiration to all food producers, on land and sea. It is exactly this type of thinking and planning that will continue to take our food system in the Highlands in the direction that it needs to go, in order to be sustainable for people and the planet.
A vision for the future
Peter shared with me what he believes is behind a better food system in the Highlands: “It all connects with wellbeing. It is really important that people eat healthy and that they understand and appreciate the story of where their food comes from. I think increasing plant based meals is also really important. It’s about the wellbeing of the animals and people eating good food and knowing where it comes from.”
To find out more about SHORE, visit their website here.