Antigua, Barbados Deal with Post-Storm Seaweed Surge on Beaches

Antigua, Barbados Deal with Post-Storm Seaweed Surge on Beaches
By Brian Major

Large fields of sargassum seaweed, churned up by strong currents from recent tropical storms, have infested beaches on several Caribbean islands. Local tourism officials are concerned the unsightly seaweed will keep tourists away.

The smelly seaweed forced the closure of Antigua’s St James’ Club Resort, which this week shut down for the month to tackle the seaweed cleanup, according to a hotel spokesperson. Meanwhile Nathan Dundas, president of Antigua’s Cruise Tourism Association, said an Antiguan national plan for a sargassum clean-up should take place over several days rather than the one day currently scheduled.

“We’re hoping it’s not a one-day event but a couple days because we need visitors to come on a regular basis and for them to see the best of our beaches,” Dundas told the Antigua Observer.

He said Antigua expects 620,000 cruise-ship visitors beginning in October and their experience “could be negatively affected” by the unsightly brown seaweed. In Barbados, the Ministry of the Environment will extend a recently launched program to remove sargassum from the island’s beaches.

Youth and school groups were scheduled to clean several beaches Thursday, while members of the public will help remove seaweed on several other beaches this weekend, according to local press reports.