Sargassum: raising awareness in the Caribbean

The beaches of many Caribbean islands are being overtaken by Sargassum, a species of free-floating brown algae that although integral to marine life, is often unsightly and known to give off an unpleasant odor, resulting in concerns regarding its impact on the region’s tourism.

Sargassum, which originates from the Sargasso Sea and is also known as “the golden floating rainforest” provides an essential habitat for more than 250 species of fish and invertebrates, and is also extremely important to endangered and migratory species like sea turtles and whales.

Scientists suggest that the recent influx of the seaweed is due to a rise in water temperatures and low winds, and has also been linked to increased nitrogen loading due to pollution of the oceans sewerage, oils, fertilizers and global climate change.

To help local hoteliers mitigate the issue, the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) recently released a resource guide outlining the situation, its causes and best practices.

“We’ve been advising people as to how to control it in an environmentally sensitive way,” Frank Comito, director general and CEO of CHTA told PAX, referring to measures being taken to manage the issue without causing harm to turtles who tend to nest in the buildup. “Unless it’s really severe, we advise against [hoteliers] removing it mechanically.”

According to the organizations, the first step in speaking with travellers is to ensure they understand that the seaweed poses no threat to human health and is, in fact, a key element of environmental sustainability.

“The Sargassum actually, over time, helps to build up the beach and helps with dune protection,” Comito said, explaining that the attention being given to the situation is an opportunity for people to learn more about the Caribbean’s unique ecosystem.

“It’s a teaching moment, where people can understand the connectivity between sargassum and natural beach restoration. We encourage that kind of public awareness,” he stated. “Our resource guide helps people to do that at different levels.”

Although Comito claimed that there have not been any mass concerns expressed regarding the issue’s effect on tourism, he admitted that there are areas where Sargassum tends to wash up in large amounts, requiring additional action to take place.

“In situations where the [buildup] has gotten massive, we do advise that there is some public and private sector collaboration, as [maintenance] can require resources beyond what a hotel can reasonably do – especially on a public beach,” he said.

According to Comito, the CHTA and CAST are sing a similar issue experienced by the Northern Gulf of Mexico in 2014 as a reference in how to deal with the situation.

As for those on the ground, some are burying it up the beach while others, such as Saint Lucia, have organized beach clean-up days, whereby the community – including tourists – pitch in to collect the unwanted seaweed and displace it through various strategies, such as donating to local schools to fertilize gardens.

The resource guide can be found here.