This is what wiki says.but how accurate it is....?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tunstall

Anyway to get vaguely on track again. In the late 19th century legislation was introduced to establish crofts in the area of the clearances. This was in response to landowners trying to force leaseholders off the out-bye common land. As the existing holdings were already overcrowded and inadaquate to provide enough without secondary income, then fishing and kelp harvesting was encouraged/forced. With a downturn in the kelp market these factors combined to "force" the government to act, after a series of protests. These protests eventually led to the crofting (brief history) legislation that exists today.

As a complete aside a planning application was granted in December last year for commercial kelp harvesting to occur in Bantry Bay. There has been opposition both on the initial scale of the enterprise and that the application was passed, allegedly, without all interested parties being fully involved.