Ecology

May 8, 2023

Seaweed & freshwater

What do Sir David Attenborogh, Rivers and seaweed have in common?

Seaweed & freshwater

Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 97th birthday today! We would like to send our best wishes and also say how much we appreciate his work. In the last program of the recent BBC series The Wild Isles, we were particularly interested in the Freshwater and Ocean episode.

Sustainability and biodiversity are hugely important for us as well as the general health of our beautiful planet. Often we ask what we can do to stop destroying our lovely little country. To enrich the ecosystem and live in reciprocity with the world surrounding us.

All the rivers flow to the sea at the end of the day. And that’s where our attention lies.

Because the marine world is our bread and butter we have to focus on the site we harvest from. Using the app Safer Seas & Rivers Service helps with checking where the sewage outlets are. But avoiding the problem is never a good solution. More importantly – it would be amazing if the big companies that allow the nasty stuff into our rivers tried to think about some sustainable alternatives.

Seaweeds are unique in absorbing minerals from the seawater. It’s been proven that fish meat is so nutritious and healthy because sea fish nibble on them. We love to involve seaweed in our diet because it can mop up some harmful chemicals from the body. Unfortunately, it’s bravely absorbing all the nitrogen, carbon and other chemicals from places where the sewage has been let into the sea.

We harvest only at places where there is a guarantee of pristine clear water and try to avoid harvesting after heavy rains. 

But rather than avoiding dangerous run-offs, we could think about a solution. It would be amazing if rivers became liveable again. Or at least safe for all of us, humans, fauna and flora.

Rivers and lakes can become part of our lives as well as the sea and the ocean. That’s where we came from, that’s where we belong.

According to research seaweed has been shown to reduce nitrogen run-off from rivers. Could seaweed be the solution to help restore life to rivers as well as seas?

Check some interesting articles about how seaweed can help cleaning the fresh water:

Seaweed shown to reduce nitrogen run-off in rivers

Seaweed & water purification

Cleaning rivers with seaweed