In Brittany, France seaweed gathering dates back to Neolithic times and holds a prominent place in the history of the coastal people. Watch as present day Bretons celebrate this rich tradition.
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00:00We have a tendency to say that Plougarnaud has the best water in the world.
00:07But it's not true.
00:10It's not true.
00:13It's not true.
00:16It's not true.
00:19It's not true.
00:22It's not true.
00:25It's not true.
00:28We have a tendency to say that Plougarnaud has a Guaymian soul.
00:32It's a country of Guaymians.
00:34Every year, for thirty years now, we celebrate the Guaymian Festival
00:38to explain to people what our ancestors did as a profession,
00:44how they proceeded, the boat that arrived at the port,
00:48the unloading of the cart, the spread of the Guaymian on the dune.
00:52And we try to explain to people what an alga is,
00:56and the richness of the alga.
00:58It's the black gold of the sea.
01:12We have about forty Guaymians.
01:15That's all.
01:17On the coast of Finistère.
01:19Whereas before, just in Plougarnaud, there were 200 Guaymians.
01:24There are 25 here in this port.
01:26Over there, even more.
01:28Over there, also as many.
01:30Today, the profession has modernized.
01:32Before, it was a bit like today.
01:38The sea in Brittany is still rich,
01:42which allows to produce the algae,
01:44because the algae must have a plateau of rocks,
01:47a continental plateau.
01:49And the continental plateau in Brittany is very shallow.
01:55Algae in Brittany
02:08All the algae have Latin names.
02:10And this algae is the Aminaria Digitata,
02:13what we call the laminar.
02:15It is this algae that is fished today by boats.
02:18And it is this algae that was also fished in the past
02:21by professional Guaymians.
02:23Why? Because it was rich in iodine.
02:28Before, we extracted iodine from the algae to make iodine ink.
02:32In 1819, we discovered iodine.
02:35And from there, it was a bit like the industrial development of the algae.
02:39Today, we are trying to develop food algae.
02:42It's starting to come.
02:44In France, it is developing more and more in Brittany now.
02:47And I think that in a few years,
02:49we will also be able, I think,
02:51to increase the production of algae in food.