Barbados, Caribbean Wrestle with Large Sargassum Invasion

By Felicia J. Persaud in Barbados

Information Americas, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Weds. June 18, 2025: The turquoise waters and white-sand seashores of Barbados – lengthy celebrated as a jewel of the Caribbean – are below siege. A thick, brown tide of sargassum seaweed now dominates lots of the seashores, turning once-pristine shores into foul-smelling, uninviting sands of discontent.

Outdoors The Sands Lodge, vacationers are greeted not by white sand and clear, blue waters, however by big darkish piles of rotting, smelly algae. Contemporary sargassum is washing up day by day, tainting the water and spoiling the scenic allure that attracts guests from throughout the globe. The identical scene is unfolding on Barbados’ east coast in Bathsheba in addition to the distant seaside at Skeetes Bay, and throughout the Caribbean, from Saint Lucia to Puerto Rico.

Rotting seaweed on the seaside infront the Sands Lodge in Christ Church, Barbados. (Felicia J.Persaud picture)

The decomposing algae is producing poisonous gases, together with ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, each of which pose a risk to human well being.

Scientists warn the invasion is much from over.

The seaweed has turned the normally pristine clear turquoise waters brown. (Felicia J. Persaud picture)

In line with a brand new report from the College of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab, a record-breaking 38 million metric tons of sargassum was noticed throughout the Caribbean in Might 2025—shattering the earlier file of twenty-two million tons set in 2022. Much more is anticipated in June.“Sargassum has skilled a sturdy inhabitants to date this 12 months,” mentioned Barry Rosen, professor of ecology at Florida Gulf Coast College.

“Sargassum has skilled a sturdy inhabitants to date this 12 months,” mentioned Barry Rosen, professor of ecology at Florida Gulf Coast College.

The phenomenon is fueled by a posh mixture of nutrient-rich runoff from South American rivers, warming ocean temperatures, and altering climate patterns. Droughts within the Amazon in 2023 and 2024 allowed nitrogen and phosphorus to build up, and up to date floods triggered a large launch into the Atlantic—a “first flush” that scientists imagine ignited this 12 months’s explosion of sargassum blooms.

“Sargassum has skilled a sturdy inhabitants to date this 12 months,” mentioned Barry Rosen, professor of ecology at Florida Gulf Coast College.

“It got here out of the drought with a vengeance,” mentioned Brian Lapointe, a veteran marine ecologist

Whereas sargassum in open waters helps help marine ecosystems, its arrival in nearshore zones is damaging. The seaweed smothers coral reefs, depletes oxygen, and blocks fish spawning grounds, jeopardizing fragile marine life and island economies. When it rots, it emits hydrogen sulfide fuel, which smells like rotten eggs and may trigger respiratory issues and pores and skin irritation.

Communities in Saint Lucia report well being points tied to long-term publicity. Fisheries officers report that sargassum is obstructing fishing grounds and decreasing fish shares however latest readings present fuel ranges haven’t but reached hazardous thresholds, concern is rising.

In the meantime, the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP) has pledged help for the area, together with feasibility research on reuse methods and specialised cleanup gear to assist international locations like Barbados fight the rising disaster.

Nonetheless, officers warn this isn’t a short-term drawback.

Crashing waves deliver extra seaweed to the shores day by day. (Felicia J. Persaud picture)

“It got here out of the drought with a vengeance,” mentioned Brian Lapointe, a veteran maWe’re exploring how we are able to utilise sargassum for productive functions,” mentioned Keith Nichols of the Caribbean Group Local weather Change Centre. “However the volumes we’re seeing now are unprecedented—we haven’t even totally quantified the affect.”

French Caribbean territories have began utilizing containment booms to regulate the algae offshore earlier than it hits land—a method that Saint Lucia and others could undertake. However the monetary burden, ecological injury, and tourism fallout pose steep challenges.

With peak summer time tourism across the nook, the Caribbean’s most precious asset – its seashores – is below risk. Until coordinated regional motion takes maintain quickly, what was as soon as paradise could rapidly change into uninhabitable for guests and residents alike.