[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ver the past five years, large masses of Sargassum—an orange-brown species of seaweed that thrives in open water— have swarmed the Atlantic Ocean, widely affecting the east coast of Caribbean islands. In Saint Lucia, fishermen from coastal villages such as Dennery, Praslin and Micoud report significant declines in their weekly catch. Along the Cas-en-Bas beach—which was once a popular spot for locals and tourists—is where craft vendors, excursion operators and Marjorie’s Restaurant & Bar all conduct business and similarly report a severe decrease in customers.
Restaurant owner Marjorie told the STAR: “Before the seaweed, everyone would come to enjoy the beach atmosphere but now, visiting locals and tourists barely stick around for more than a few minutes. There are days when nothing comes in. But we still have to pay our bills. It’s not easy.” Marjorie says she can no longer afford to hire restaurant staff. Instead, family members lend a hand.
As for the craft vendors, they now depend on tourists who visit the area for some horse-back riding. But sometimes buses have to turn around with their visitors from the cruise ships or resorts. One man claimed that when even horse-back riding is not possible on Cas-en-Bas beach they offer to take visitors to Pigeon Island. But it’s a frightening prospect due to traffic zipping up and down.
Marjorie, who has operated her business in Cas-en-Bas for over two decades, says the last time she complained to the National Conservation Authority they informed her that there was nothing in place to deal with the Sargassum at that location. She decided to take the matter into her own hands. “To be honest, I used to be cleaning it all the time; we pay for a backhoe and people to clean it. What else can we do? We can’t just sit there and do nothing. It may not be the right thing to do, but . . . What we do when the seaweed has been gathered and left there long enough to turn into sand, we pick it up and spread it on the beach.”
Simon Mc Intosh, a wind surfer and business owner at Cas-en-Bas beach, commented on the practice of spreading the withered seaweed around. He says the unsupervised Sargussum removal with backhoes leads to large quantities of sand being lifted from the beach. “Those who do this are not experts, they are not marine biologists. Who gave them permission to do that?” He fears the sand removal may be affecting Cas-en-Bas’ wildlife and natural ability to deal with changing weather conditions.
The NCA’s general manager Jacintha Annius-Lee says her organisation has heard the cries about Cas-en-Bas beach and has been counselled by the fisheries department of the Ministry of Agriculture not to use tractors and backhoes for Sargassum removal. She promised to pass the word on to such as Majorie and others whose businesses at Cas-en-Bas have been adversely affected by the seaweed. As for complaints about a seaweed-associated foul smell, Annius-Lee said ,“It only smells when left along the shoreline and is brushed by waves. If pushed up on the beach to dry, the smell is tolerable.”
Marjorie, on the other hand, urges: “What I would like is a little help, no matter how small. The government could at least make an effort. Whatever the reasons for the seaweed being at Cas-en-Bas, the point is it chases away our only means of survival. All of us are feeling the consequences. I’m feeling the pain. The people here with me are feeling the pain, everyone is suffering, the kite surfers, Cotton Bay, everyone.”
A joint symposium has been scheduled for November 21 and 22, between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the University of the West Indies at the Cave Hill Campus, to discuss sustainable methods of dealing with Sargassum in the Caribbean.
