Amid talk of halting deforestation and replanting trees, we hear relatively little about blue carbon capture, yet it’s a buzzphrase that is gaining traction – both internationally and right here on our very doorstep.
Sorry: shorestep.
A recent COP26 fringe event called Solving the Marine Climate Crisis with Seafood alerted me to the potential of salt water to grow sustainable carbon-capture resources faster than trees while developing new foods from the sea.
Organised by the food campaigner and MSc gastronomy graduate Grant Reekie on behalf of Open Seas, the international discussion panel included Scots-born diver and chef Roddie Sloan from Arctic Norway; the chef and marine biologist Greg Martinez of the three Michelin-starred Aponiente restaurant in Cadiz, Spain; Fiona Houston of Mara Seaweed of Fife; Bally Philp of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation; and … drumroll … Yanik Nyberg, the Glasgow-based co-founder of Seawater Solutions and creator of the new Blue-Green Glasgow at Govan Shipyard Docks.
It was quickly established, especially by Philp, that apart from plastic pollution, intensive trawling of our seabeds is “one of the biggest threats” to Scotland’s climate and diversity – and that “as result of trawling, the seabed, instead of acting as carbon sinks as it has for millennia, could be a very significant source of carbon release”.
First to speak was Roddie Sloan (left), born in Dumfries & Galloway and now living in Arctic Norway. After a career hand-diving or trapping shellfish – sea urchins, scallops, clams, sea snails and periwinkles – to supply some of the world’s best restaurants, now has his own company to champion top quality sustainable shellfish. His talk was entitled The Future of Our Oceans – Lessons from Norway’s Protected Seabed.
He said his time in the seafood industry and underneath the waters of Norway has provided him with a unique perspective on how protecting the seas from heavy industrial fishing can yield far greater returns than allowing a free-for-all.
“Norway is built on two industries: fishing and oil. It has the same population as Scotland. Yet Norway has 11,000 fishermen and Scotland has 5000, and there is virtually no inshore dredging in Norway. Otherwise harvesting is done by nets and lines, and stocks are high.
“I’m not a fan of dredging but I am a fan of fishermen,” he told the audience. “I always say to people, does your chef know his fishermen? And when was the last time you went on a fishing boat or talked to a fisherman on the pier? People don’t do this in the UK but they do in Norway. Fishermen understand about sustainability and when you talk to them you quickly get it. Acquaculture is part of the political dialogue in Norway. NGOs work with government and fishermen. And shellfish stocks are high.”
Positive examples of progress closer to home, perhaps, is a movement off the isle of Skye away from farmed salmon towards shellfish, a rise in oyster farming, greater availability of lobster, and Scotland’s growing number of no-take zones (MPAs) like the first one off Arran, developed to prevent trawlers and dredgers access to precious coastal areas. So far they have resulted in greater biodiversity and an increase in carbon-absorbing weeds – though there are concerns that the MPAs are not being properly protected.
Greg Martinez (right), of the three Michelin-star Aponiente in Cadiz, Spain, is part of the restaurant’s marine biology team Future Seafoods. His talk focused on the work being done to restore the ancient salt flats of the area, and the pioneering work being undertaken with his group and the Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies to develop new nature- and climate-positive seafood ingredients.
One of these is grain from seagrass seeds and phyto plankton. He compared this emerging new “superfood” to a cross between rice and quinoa, and at Aponiente they are already experimenting with seagrass tortillas, seagrass breads, seagrass honey, seaweed-based dishes such as algae gels, and chorizo made with fish trimmings. Research shows that seagrass grain contains more B vitamins and essential fatty acids than rice.
“Gastronomy is not just about flavour,” he said. “A restaurant has the ability to be the voice for biodiversity. Seagrass can be harvested without disturbing the seabed. It can save the salt pans and it can bring life back to this area in terms of biodiversity, wildlife and jobs.”
Gastronomy is not just about flavour. A restaurant has the ability to be the voice for biodiversity.
Fiona Houston’s Scottish wild-harvested seaweed company has just received a £600,000 Scottish Government grant via Marine Fund Scotland to expand her operation, explore new markets and become carbon-negative. She has been evangelising about seaweed for years. Apart from its health benefits, it’s sustainable, and has a positive impact on the atmosphere, taking up significant qauntities of carbon dioxide every year. It’s gaining in popularity with consumers too.
Yanik Nyberg (below), the Glasgow-based co-founder of Seawater Solutions - a company building integrated ecosystems for climate adaptation in Bangladesh, Ghana, Namibia and Vietnam by turning desertified land into wetland oases - has recently founded Blue-Green Glasgow at the historic Govan Shipyard Docks.
This community interest company is restoring post-industrial shipbuilding land by building a wetland saltmarsh to grow samphire, sea lavender, aster, sea blite and other saline crops – which are reportedly seeing a 10% uplift in demand. Samphire has become known as a “superfood” with high levels of Omega 3, iron and the highest linoleic acid content of any crops.
“Ponds and wetland systems that depend on seawater must be part of the climate adaptation and mitigation conversation,” said Nyberg, whose first UK project was a saltwater farm in Ayrshire. “This includes vertical farming, soil remediation and carbon capture with biochar.” Biochar has been used on soils contaminated with heavy metals and other chemicals for years. It helps plants grow better but will also permanently store 30 tonnes of carbon on this site alone.
“Salt water is really the only tangible solution we have if we want to tackle what is happening to the environment,” he said. “Tree planting takes too long to get results, maybe a decade or more. We can get a result in one year.”
ENDS