Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea

In the Pays des Abers region

Picture 1 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 2 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 3 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 4 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 5 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 6 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 7 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea Picture 8 Enter the universe of seaweed gatherers, the harvesters of the sea

In the Pays des Abers where the land meets the sea, I went in search of the seaweed gatherers. Through Gwenole, Pierre and Joël, I discovered a living history and an unexpected resource: seaweed, the black gold of Brittany.

La découverte des algues à l'écomusée de Plouguerneau

I met Gwenole at the Écomusée de Plouguerneau (Plouguerneau Eco-museum). The first question that came to mind was: why is seaweed harvested at all? With the help of pictures and some of the tools of the trade, Gwenole told us all about the fascinating history of a trade that’s still going strong. “Dried and burned, it was used as a crop fertiliser” she explained, before going on to talk about another, more surprising use: “Have you heard about the use of tincture of iodine, found to be a powerful antiseptic in 1811?” The Napoleonic era slowly came back to me from my history books. She went on: “Napoleon had factories built in Brittany to extract iodine from the kelp.” To my astonishment, I learned that it took 25 tons of harvested kelp to make 15kg of iodine! It’s hard to imagine just how much manpower was involved in collecting so much of the sea’s harvest. “As time went on, the seaweed gatherers moved to the neighbouring islands.” The harvesting season was six months long, and “from early March they travelled out to sea with horses and special carts!” And when on land again, their home was an upturned boat; Unbelievable today!

Edible seaweed

Des algues comestibles

The adventure continues. I learn that around 50 gatherers are harvesting seaweed even today. Luckily, the job is made a little easier with the use of modern technology. “Their boat now has a hydraulic harvesting system called a Scoubidou.” And what happens to the seaweed? Well, it’s in the custard tarts you eat and the toothpaste you use. “Alginates used in the food industry, in medicine and in cosmetics, are extracted from the kelp here.” I smile as I realise that the seaweed, bezhin saout, which was once given to cows, is a substance now at the cutting edge of modern culture, and has become a popular gourmet item. “There are nearly 700 types of seaweed, of which a dozen are so are edible.” I hear a name, sea lichen or pioka in Breton: “My grandmother used it to set her jam” said Gwenole. A workshop at the eco-museum made my mouth water: cooking with seaweed. It certainly gave me a taste for the sea!

Pierre – my favourite seaweed gatherer!

Pierre, ancien goémonier

Pierre Merdy is waiting for us at the port of Korejou not far from the eco-museum. “A seaweed gatherer? I was a seaweed gatherer before I could even walk. My mother brought me into this world in a boat.” As he spoke in his strong Breton accent of "the joys of this trade" I could almost see the spray in his face and his sea-blue eyes sparkled while he talked of the tides he had seen in his youth. As he told me about the trade, I could vividly imagine the families harvesting the seaweed using an implement called a ‘guillotine’ (rather like a sickle) and drying it on the dunes. “It’s a hard job, and yet it’s always been my dream. I've been so lucky!” Towards the end of the 1950s, seaweed gathering in Brittany became less viable and Pierre became a sailor, though only for a while, “at the age of 40 I bought my own working boat that had a hydraulic scoubidou.”

Harvest-time from May to September

Le débarquement du goémon au port

Seaweed gathering is no longer back-breaking work. The job has changed and local seaweed production is still going strong. To witness this, all you have to do is visit the port of Lanildut during the week. Between May and September as the tide rises, seaweed gatherers unload their day’s harvest. The truckloads that set off for the Breton factories are impressive, and I begin to wonder if this might not be the black gold of the Bretons. “80% of national seaweed production is from Brittany, half of that from North Finistère!”

With Joël at Meneham, a seaweed gatherers' village

Avec Joël à Meneham

As she leaves us, Gwenole invites us to discover Le Meneham, a seaweed gatherers' village. Le Meneham is a spectacular natural site, a land of legends. It’s here that I meet Joël, who is a guide with a passion! Once upon a time “this was a village, built in 1833, where a Vauban guard post protected the coast from invaders.” Curious, we walk among these amazing stone houses with thatched or slate roofs. Then to my surprise I came across the famous Vauban guard post with its stone roof, embedded in the cliff. A chameleon! “The main custom's officer corps was at Kerlouan, which is the neighbouring village,” explained my guide. And what about the large building we can see? “Those were the barracks, built to accommodate six families. The guards were then transferred to the Eastern front, and the seaweed gatherers came and settled here.” The houses have been turned into artisan workshops and character holiday cottages complete with Breton lits-clos (box-beds). There’s a lovely inn that offers a “harvesters of the sea” menu. We continue our walk and enjoy lovely views across a striking landscape.

I think back over the day and the people I've met. I remain impressed by man’s will to live on this land and the ingenuity shown in harvesting and transforming the seaweed, the black gold of Brittany.

More information about seaweed :

Algopole  : www.algopole.fr
Centre d'Etude et de Valorisation des Algues : www.ceva.fr/fr/ceva/domaines.html