COLE BAY--Residents living on the beach-front and beach-goers should brace for a significant influx of the invasive Sargassum Seaweed in the coming weeks, announced Nature Foundation on Monday.
The invasive weed not only brings with it the possibility of huge build-up on beaches and the stench of rotten weed once on shore. The weed arrival and clean-up also pose a threat to endangered sea turtles and their nests on the country’s beaches.
"The removal of the seaweed with heavy loaders cause serious risk to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings while the grass itself can be a hazard to the animals," said Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets.
There have been reports of sea turtle deaths caused by the seaweed in Barbados. The invasive weed has been suffocating turtles in large numbers.
Residents are urged by the foundation to keep an eye out for wildlife, especially sea turtles that may be experiencing difficulties due to the weed. If an animal in distress is spotted, contact Nature Foundation on 544-4267 for further assistance.
The warning about the influx of seaweed is based on monitoring efforts in the region, weather predictions and satellite images.
This on top of the large volume of seaweed that we have already been experiencing,” said Bervoets.
Guana Bay, Gibbes Bay and Dawn Beach and the area of Pointe Blanche have already been heavily impacted by the weed.
“We have been really trying to work both with our partners in the region and with local stakeholders to find a way to control the amount of the weed washing up on beaches, but this has proved to be a very difficult task," he said.
As soon as the seaweed is cleared, some is deposited back on the beach by the wind and currents.
Research continues on the effects of the seaweed and for possible solutions, but at this point St. Maarten, like many islands in the Caribbean, is heavily impacted, Bervoets said.
Residents, especially kitchen gardeners and farmers, are encouraged to collect as much of the seaweed as possible to use as fertilizer. Before using in the garden, rinse the collected seaweed and add to compost heap.
Nature Foundation does not recommend application of the seaweed directly to the soil; instead rinse and add to compost heap.
Sargassum first plagued the Caribbean in 2011 and 2012. The large influx over the years have been due to a suspected southward shift in the Gulf Stream, which has pushed the Sargassum Sea – an area of the Atlantic Ocean where Sargassum Weed is in thick concentration, south to the local area.
This, coupled with the seaweed flourishing due to warmer seawater temperatures, has caused a huge amount of seaweed to enter the region. Scientists suspect that the invasion is a result of climate change.
Sargassum is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) seaweed which is distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world.
Most of the Sargassum Seaweed lies concentrated in the Sargassum Sea, a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current.
