Jersey to host global conference... on sea lettuce

Friday 15 September 2017

Years of wrestling with the slippery issue of sea lettuce across the island’s southerly bays appears to have made Jersey a global authority on the issue - the island is now preparing to host the world’s first international conference on the slimy substance.

Next month, the island is set to welcome experts from across the globe for two days of discussion and debate dedicated to the tricky coastal bloom.

Hosted at the Grand Hotel on 5 and 6 October, the event will see keynote speakers explain management strategies and potential ways the substance can be reused commercially. 

Those will be followed by “break-out” brainstorming sessions, which should help to form a “road map to resolving the issues highlighted by the conference.”

Pictured: The International Conference on Sea Lettuce Management will take place at the Grand Hotel, conveniently opposite the affected bay.

“The ever increasing occurrence of opportunistic macroalgal blooms in coastal environments has prompted recent research into and development of novel management techniques, at both the local level and the catchment scale. This conference aims to bring together impacted stakeholders and leading experts from varied backgrounds, and across international boundaries, building a platform upon which ideas can be shared and management strategies discussed,” the event description explains. 

In a bid to attract top experts, the States are offering travel grants of up to £500 for delegates to attend the event.

The conference comes after years of debate and concern surrounding exactly how sea lettuce, which is caused by high nitrate levels in Jersey water, should be removed from St Aubin’s Bay.

The controversial seaweed is said to be harmful to tourism and the island’s water-based recreation industry – valued at up to £4.4million.

Video: A tractor attempts to clear the thick lettuce from St Aubin's Bay last summer.

Trials including ploughing furrows through the bay have so far been unsuccessful, and the States are now experimenting with collecting the substance off the island’s shores and dumping it at sea.

Part of the responsibility for dealing with nitrates has been placed largely at the gate of farmers whose farming practices using fertiliser and pesticides are said to be responsible for nitrates entering the island’s water supply.

This could be treated at a specialist water management facility at a cost of around £30million, but a Scrutiny report earlier this year described that move as “a last resort.”

Following the conference, a public meeting will be held for all residents to attend.