A community-owned seaweed and shellfish farming venture in West Wales has received approval to expand two sea farms following a marine licence extension from Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Câr-y-Môr, based in St Davids, aims to provide British land farmers with a homegrown and effective fertiliser substitute amid rising costs driven by conflict in the Middle East.
Expansion and Job Creation
The community benefit society, which has 700 members and working partners, plans to create eight additional roles over the next five years, joining the current 19 full-time, year-round working partners. NRW noted that the project will contribute to the local economy, blue growth, and job creation.
Seaweed Biostimulant Trials
In March, Câr-y-Môr published results of seaweed biostimulant trials funded by the Co-op Foundation's Carbon Innovation Fund. The trials showed that when synthetic fertiliser was reduced by 40% and the seaweed biostimulant applied on conventional grassland, grass quality was maintained and yield increased by 29%. Similar results were observed on cereal and potato fields, with fertiliser reductions of 25% and 29% respectively, while maintaining yield and quality.
Earlier trials had demonstrated a 24% yield increase on organic potatoes and an 18% yield increase on silage, equivalent to £92 per hectare uplift, when the biostimulant was added to the existing fertiliser programme.
Marine Licence Extension
Now entering its third year of seaweed biostimulant trials, Câr-y-Môr has secured a marine licence to expand two existing integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) sea farms in Ramsey Sound off Pembrokeshire. This expansion will increase production of Welsh seaweed and meet growing demand for high-quality shellfish, which grew by 30% last year.
Beth Marshall, Câr-y-Môr's marine biologist who led the licence application, said: "NRW's approval is the result of years of feedback and collaboration between the team, volunteers and stakeholders, as well as strong advocacy from local people and businesses. It gives us the scope to scale our operations: to harvest more zero-input seaweed for use in biostimulant on the land; increase shellfish and seaweed production in A Grade waters for our 90+ restaurant partners; grow our community outreach and education programmes; and generate more year-round, full-time roles for rural Pembrokeshire."
Sea Farm Details
The sea farms will now total 8 hectares and will be home to sugar kelp, oarweed, Atlantic wakame, furbelows, dulse, pepper dulse, sea lettuce, scallop, native oyster, and mussels. The marine licence extension coincides with the opening of Sied-y-Môr, the first dedicated seaweed biorefinery in Wales, located just a few miles inshore.
Community and Environmental Impact
The community business has also participated in a native oyster restoration programme, deploying 50,000 native oysters into Pembrokeshire's Daugleddau Estuary last year.
Sophie Wood, programme manager at the UK Seaweed Network, commented: "The UK Seaweed Network is delighted to hear of the successful granting of two sea farm extension licences for Câr-y-Môr. It is a well-deserved outcome, reflecting the strength of Câr-y-Môr's efforts to date and its positive contribution to the marine environment and local economy. This decision is a vote of confidence in the future of regenerative sea farming, as well as reinforcing the importance and potential of long-term, responsible use of marine resources in Wales and around the UK."
Education and Outreach
Jess Watton, education and engagement lead at Câr-y-Môr, who grew up in Pembrokeshire, conducts seaweed workshops that have reached over 4,000 schoolchildren. She said: "St Davids is tiny, famously the smallest city in the UK, sitting here on the edge of west Wales. Yet our humble community is paving the way for regenerative ocean farming, linking aquaculture with agriculture, and championing Welsh seafood. The fact we can do all that whilst cultivating seaweed and shellfish under the waves of what is notoriously one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world, is just so inspiring."
