Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway West Independent Deputy, Catherine Connolly, is associated with an effort in the Dáil to protect the traditional claim to seaweed harvesting rights by local people.
A Bill supported by Deputies Thomas Pringle and by Deputy Connolly is to be voted on in the Dáil tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the price being paid to seaweed harvesters on the Connemara coast has been boosted amidst intense competition among a number of companies.
Deputy Catherine Connolly has been speaking in the Dáil this evening in support of a Bill which seeks to prevent bigger companies from obtaining licences to harvest seaweed over large swathes of the coastline.
Both Deputy Connolly and Thomas Pringle from Donegal are leading an effort to protect the time honoured rights of local people along the seashore to harvest seaweed.
Fianna Fáil is expected to support the Bill and it could have majority support in the Dáil.
This would be a major turn of event in a controversy over seaweed rights.
There have been fears that larger entities could control the resource and a deputation of ten people from Connemara went to Dáil Éireann today.
Meanwhile, harvesters in Connemara have seen a boom in the price of a ton of seaweed.
Arramara Teo, the largest company is now paying €53 - up from €43 and that is being matched or beaten by two other companies.
