Scientists study seaweed in Guernsey as tonnes wash up onto the shore

The tides and amount of salinity in the Channel Islands water make perfect conditions for seaweed, more than 700 species are found in Guernsey's waters Credit: ITV Channel

Scientists in Guernsey are studying the island's seaweed after a significant rise in the amount washed onto its shores.

Thousands of tonnes of seaweed arrived after Storm Ciarán, some of which had never been seen on the island before.

The tides and amount of salinity in the Channel Islands water make perfect conditions for seaweed, more than 700 species are found in Guernsey's waters.

Ben Tustin and Naomi Tustin, Guernsey seaweed foragers, have been scouring the shoreline for what is known as Vraic in the Channel Islands. Ben Tustin says: "You can eat all of them. Some don't taste very nice but they won't kill you, like mushrooms. It's worth just giving it a go."

Ben and Naomi Tustin harvest the seaweed in Guernsey to make everything from cheese to skincare products.

Ben says: "Seaweed was so important to Guernsey, under our law from 1830, citizens were allowed to collect as much as we want but technically our beaches belong to the crown so the laws don't interact particularly well.

"But we don't need permission, we can go and collect seaweed"

Sam Pycroft is a market gardener and uses the seaweed for fertiliser for his organic farm, he says: "It's amazing and we always collect from above the shoreline so nothing is taken away from the circular ecology so it's stuff that has been kicked up from the storms."

Scientists have been monitoring the seaweed, Angela Salmon Guernsey's Nature Commission says: "With climate change and with sea temperatures rising that can change the types of seaweed we're getting.

"We're seeing more invasive seaweeds and those invasive seaweeds are out-competing the native seaweeds that we've got and that can cause a problem for the marine species we have."

It might not be every sea swimmer's favourite item but Vraic, as it's known in the Channel Islands, is a vital part of Guernsey's eco-system.

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