Seaweed causing significant beach erosion

Barbados is losing vast tracts of beachland annually due to the almost continuous influx of Sargassum Seaweed on its shores.
Permanent Secretary in the Blue Economy Division of the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification Sonia Foster informed today’s opening session of the Third University of the West Indies Sargassum Symposium of the stress being placed on the island’s east and south coast beaches during the appearance of the seaweed from the January to September.
“Over the last seven years impacts on some of our widest beaches have resulted in significant beach loss. Some of these areas with major loss are Long Beach in Christ Church where in excess of 30 meters of beach have been lost with little evidence of recovery. On the East Coast beaches such as Cattlewash, the loss has been 15 meters of active beach space; Lakes in excess of 10 meters lost; Walkers Beach, 15 meters lost; Green Pond, 15 meters lost; Morgan Lewis in excess of 20 meters lost and River Bay in excess of 25 meters. On the South Coast, the Crane has been the most directly impacted beach where in excess of 15 meters have been lost with a flattening of the beach and the waves now reaching the base of the sand dune line,” she pointed out to those gathered at the Courtyard Marriott.
The PS said that this is occurring because the wave water flows under the packed sargassum mat on the shores continually eroding the sand underneath.
Foster explained that the vegetation, which negatively affects the fisheries and tourism industries in particular, is also affecting the water quality of the near shore, by reducing the oxygen levels and resulting in the exodus of mobile organisms.
Making it clear that our coastline will not survive another decade of continuous inundation by the seaweed, Foster said it is critical now to find suitable ways to dispose of this menace by making it commercially viable, but stressed that cottage industry approaches “will not have the capacity to absorb the significant volumes impacting our coasts once it starts to arrive”.
“We must be more innovative in our approach to handling sargassum and how it can be effectively brought to shore and commercially treated for our benefit. The ideas and opportunities are there, now is the time to strategise and implement these opportunities.”
She told the symposium that in the meantime, Barbados and four other countries are to be provided with the equipment from the United Nations Development Programme to tackle the algae reaching the shores.
“We learned very early in our experience that the use of heavy machinery on the beaches to remove the sargassum also resulted in removing extensive amounts of beach sand thus contributing further to the beach erosion. Our present mode of removal is the use of manpower ranging from 60 to over 100 persons in various teams depending on the influx.
“However, the UNDP project for improving national sargassum management capacities in the Caribbean, Barbados and four other countries will be provided with the equipment, expertise and technical knowledge to collect, remove, transport and dispose of the sargassum,” the PS remarked.
The symposium is being hosted by the University of the West Indies through its Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), and Deputy Principal of the Cave Hill Campus Professor Winston Moore outlined the ongoing studies into the persistent problem.
“Currently, there is flagship Blue Economy research at CERMES with key outputs including a sargassum outlook- a prediction bulletin which provides information on sargassum influx to the Eastern Caribbean at three monthly timescales, a guide to sargassum uses and several story maps to understand the scale of the sargassum problem,” he said. He noted that the climate change issue is not anticipated to disappear from the region anytime soon.
He therefore heralded the Bridgetown Initiative devised by Prime Minister Mia Mottley which is anticipated would “provide liquidity to climate-vulnerable countries to finance their adaptation efforts without leading to a debt crisis”.
(JB)