Dear Editor,
I saw on the news that there is an unusual mass of seaweed coming across the Atlantic through the Caribbean, into Florida and on to the Gulf of Mexico, taking what one might regard as a hurricane path (the Atlantic Sargassum Belt). Like a hurricane we can’t stop the trajectory but this mass is estimated to be 5,000 miles long according to this recent report from CNN, which means most everyone’s tourism product will be affected in some way, but those islands that are able to manage the problem will be competitively better off.
The peak of this plague is predicted to be in July. According to the expert featured, it can possibly have a fatal effect on mangroves and coral reefs. The report also said that “in Barbados just last week, they reported they need 1,600 dump trucks a day to clean the beaches.” Would it be possible to limit the seaweed from reaching the shore in the first place by the placing of booms on either end of our most valued beaches resorts?
But then you have the additional problem of clearing the sea at some stage and disposal of the seaweed. I hear it makes good fertilizer.
At any rate, I think that a discussion of this potential problem should be tabled by the government before it arrives.
Mike Vieira
