New Plan To Deal With Sargassum Seaweed

The offshore collection of sargassum seaweed will be deployed in the months ahead in accordance with the sustainable management of Barbados’ marine environment.          

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment, National Beautification and Fisheries, Santia Bradshaw, while speaking recently at a Barbados Marine Spatial Plan event, explained that sargassum seaweed influxes continue to impact beaches, fisheries, coastal communities, and the tourism product.

“As a Government, we continue to actively address the growing sargassum challenge through a series of coordinated national responses.

 “This includes engaging contract workers to support the cleanup efforts, and collaborating with international agencies, such as the UNDP, and countries such as Japan, to increase the use of mechanised equipment, for more efficient and large-scale sargassum removal,” Ms. Bradshaw said.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that efforts to date to contain the sargassum seaweed have included interaction with countries and investment agencies, including the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as local stakeholders, to find homegrown solutions to the ongoing problem.   

She continued: “While we continue our cleanup efforts, we must now also turn our attention to the offshore collection of sargassum, and we have been in discussions with a dedicated team of experts, who will work with our local stakeholders to find the most cost-effective and efficient way to help us achieve this in the coming months (PR/GIS)