UK seaweed farming industry will need public trust to succeed

UK seaweed farming industry will need public trust to succeed, study finds. Attitudes towards the UK’s emerging seaweed farming sector and lessons to learn from other aquaculture industries have been documented and analysed in a new report. The Social Licence for Seaweed Farming project, led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban and funded by WWF, has used the findings to produce resources for would-be seaweed farmers to improve social licence, a term given to an activity that has gained public trust and backing. Lead author Dr Suzi Billing from SAMS will launch the report at the year’s Scottish Seaweed Industry Association annual meeting in Oban (14th – 16th November). It offers a range of resources and data from a two-year study of attitudes towards seaweed farming from a range of communities and stakeholders throughout the UK. Dr Billing said: “Seaweed farming is at an early stage of development in the UK and Europe but there is increasing interest from ...