OYSTER BAY/ DAWN BEACH--Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI, hotels and non-governmental organisation (NGO) Nature Foundation (NF) are collaborating on beach maintenance in relation to the high influx of Sargasso Seaweed that the island is experiencing.
VROMI is currently finalising its advice for a public-private-partnership (PPP) with Oyster Bay Beach Resort for beach maintenance and the same will hopefully be done with another nearby resort.
Oyster Bay Beach Resort has also brought in experts from the United States to study the currents and determine if anything can be done to mitigate the amount of seaweed being deposited on the beach, General Manager Ricardo Perez said in an invited comment. The hotel is consulting with both VROMI and NF and keeping them informed.
The French St. Martin Government announced its plans to tackle the issue recently. The French side is notably more affected, however, because the seaweed which originates from the Sargasso Sea – a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean – affects highly frequented beaches such as Orient Bay and French Cul-de-Sac.
VROMI Department Head Claudius Buncamper said in an invited comment that a cleanup of Guana Bay and Oyster Pond had just been finalised with a contractor and that the PPP advice is being finalised as well. St. Maarten’s eastern beaches are the most affected, with Dawn Beach and Oyster Bay being the ones most frequented by beachgoers and holidaymakers.
Buncamper added that the cleaning of other beaches and areas are also under review, but that finances have to be taken into consideration.
NF has actively been monitoring the Sargasso situation, issuing warning statements to the public when necessary, and says that it and the government, in collaboration with other establishments have been actively cooperating in Sargasso clean-ups.
This time around, the issue has been problematic for around 13 months. The amount of seaweed warrants the use of heavy equipment, said NF Manager Tadzio Bervoets.
As such, the ministry and NF work together, with NF monitoring and making sure beaches are clear of turtle nests. NF would cordon off sensitive areas where necessary, but says that this has not been needed yet. The nesting season is actually slower than normal, Bervoets said, which is also the case on other islands. This may or may not have something to do with the weed.
As mentioned in previous press statements by NF and other environmentalists, the public can also use the seaweed as fertiliser. Bervoets added on Monday that it is important to clean it first, but that it can easily be hosed off and put into the compost heap.
NF previously explained that the Sargasso Sea 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. A suspected southward shift in the Gulf Stream has pushed the Sargasso Sea – an area of the Atlantic Ocean where Sargasso Weed is in thick concentration – south to our area.
