Video: Seaweed On Beaches After Strong Winds

A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry said the Sargassum seaweed washing up on our shores is due to the sustained strong winds over a period of several days, and while it is not an indication of pollution, staff from the Parks Department are doing what they can to keep up with cleaning the most popular beaches.

“The seaweed washing up on the beaches is Sargassum, a unique floating seaweed which is common in our waters and the Sargasso Sea area of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Mexico,” said an Environment Ministry spokesperson. “Sargassum seaweed provides a unique habitat in the deep waters of the open ocean.”

“The floating seaweed provides a structure that marine life can attach to, and is also a safe place for small marine organisms to hide from predators. Sargassum attracts a wide variety of species, and there are many endemic species that only occur in association with this seaweed.

“It is the basis of an incredibly diverse and productive ecosystem in the middle of the ocean. The biological and geochemical importance of this ecosystem for global biodiversity, fisheries and climate regulation are just some of the reasons that Bermuda is leading the Sargasso Sea Alliance in efforts to protect the Sargasso Sea.

“It is perfectly normal to have Sargassum collecting in Bermuda’s inshore waters and washing up on our beaches, and it does so regularly. As the seaweed generally drifts in open waters, it usually comes closer to shore in the winter months, when stronger winds and waves bring it towards the island and push it into the bays.

“Accumulations such as we are seeing at the moment can build up when we have sustained strong winds from the same direction over a period of several days, and can also occur when eddies from the Gulf Stream affect oceanographic currents near Bermuda. In no way is the presence of Sargassum on our beaches an indication of pollution, and the public should not be concerned in that regard.

“Although it is a natural phenomenon that contributed to the stabilisation of the Bermuda shoreline in the past, a side effect of Sargassum washing up on our beaches is that it will decompose there unless it is removed. Such decomposition will, naturally, produce an odour that some beachgoers might not like.

“Staff from the Parks Department are doing what they can to keep up with cleaning the most popular beaches, but the seaweed will continue washing up until the oceanographic conditions change.

“However, since humans have lived in Bermuda, many people have collected Sargassum off the beaches to use as fertilizer for gardens and farms. Indeed, before scientists realised the importance of the Sargasso Sea, ships from the United States used to go out and harvest Sargassum from the ocean in order to make fertilizer.

“Although this practice has now been curtailed, it confirms the value of the nutrients that Sargassum can add to the soil. Perhaps the ideal solution for dealing with the current situation would be for all the local gardeners and farmers to go down to the beach and collect a few buckets of Sargassum to add to their compost piles,” concluded the spokesperson.

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