Moville Dulse, Carigeen Moss and Winkle Pickers Acting Illegally
Moville Winkle Pickers
It seems that Moville winkle pickers should really get a licence if they want to ‘harvest’ seaweed or pick winkles.
I got this sent to me by Enda Craig as part of a larger article but it was this that caught my eye. It’s from Kathleen Lynch of the Environment Department:-
” The Foreshore Act 1933 prohibits the removal of beach material from any area of the foreshore. The definition of “beach material” in the Act includes seaweed whether growing or rooted on the seashore, or deposited or washed up by the action of tides, winds or waves.
“Under the Act, individuals or companies seeking to harvest wild seaweed from the foreshore require a foreshore licence from the Department. The legislative requirement to hold a foreshore licence for seaweed harvesting has been in place since the enactment of the Foreshore Act in 1933.”
It looks like the Act prohibits anything being removed from the shore. That would include muscles, winkles, dulse, carrigeen moss and other shellfish that people pick up on the shore.
It seems that the Government owns the shore and everything on it (except when the British say it is theirs).