Influx of Sargassum could continue for days or weeks
According to the Director of Environment in the ministry, Ms Angela Burnett Penn, 2025 is a record-breaking year for Sargassum in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Sargassum landings usually occur during the warmer months, mainly between April and August, and forecasts indicate that this is the peak of the 2025 Sargassum bloom. As such, the total Sargassum amount is expected to begin to decline this year; however, Sargassum inundation of variable degrees will continue to occur in most Caribbean nations and the Virgin Islands (VI).
14 years of Mass Sargassum in the region
Ms Burnett Penn explained that Mass Sargassum landings first occurred in the Caribbean in 2011 when a new massive bloom of Sargassum known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt started to emerge and now spans from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.
She said it is the largest accumulation of brown algae ever observed and results from changes in oceanic and climatic conditions, as the intensity of landings has varied from year to year.
“While Sargassum is not hazardous in the ocean, when it accumulates nearshore and onshore, it can cause unpleasant odours as it decomposes. It can also affect swimming and fishing and may pose challenges for small craft navigation,” the Director said.
She added that Sargassum is generally not harmful to human health; however, prolonged exposure to hydrogen sulfide from Sargassum decomposition may cause eye and respiratory irritation, headaches, dizziness and nausea in sensitive individuals.
SAMS developed to deal with influx of seaweed
The press release added that in 2023, with technical assistance from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) using regional best practices to deal with the influx of seaweed, the government developed the Virgin Islands Sargassum Adaptive Management Strategy (SAMS).
It outlines several Government agencies that have a role in Sargassum management, with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change serving as lead. SAMS also identifies hotspots, indicates cleanup triggers for Sargassum and best management practices for cleanup.
Cleanup is a costly task
The ministry has, over time, coordinated mass Sargassum cleanups in various locations. Permanent Secretary Dr. Ronald Berkeley confirmed that there are currently cleanup initiatives underway on Beef Island at Long Bay and Trellis Bay and in Handsome Bay on Virgin Gorda. Cleanup in other areas will be triggered on a case-by-case basis as limited resources allow and based on accessibility of affected areas, with priority given to high-use recreational beaches, ports and areas with critical public infrastructure such as desalination plants.
Ms Burnett Penn indicated that the ministry is also exploring the acquisition of specialised equipment for in-water containment and removal of Sargassum in preparation for possible influxes next year.
Partnerships from the public and private sectors are being encouraged as the Sargassum cleanup is costly.
The public’s role
“The public is encouraged to assist with cleanup of Sargassum where landings are moderate. Permission should be sought from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change to ensure appropriate methods and protective Use of heavy equipment for cleanup of beaches is generally discouraged as it removes significant quantities of sand from beachfronts, leading to beach erosion,” the release explained.
Residents in areas with decomposing Sargassum can limit exposure by keeping windows closed when odours are particularly strong and blow inland.
The ministry is also advising the public to avoid swimming directly in areas with heavy Sargassum landings to avoid potential skin irritation.
Boaters are advised to avoid sailing through thick Sargassum as it can damage propellers; they should also inspect and clean engine intakes regularly.
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9 Responses to “Influx of Sargassum could continue for days or weeks”
Suggestions
First all our current government Cabinet should stop wasting our limit amount of money on lesser important pleasurous activities. We should use that money to hire at least three small size (3) badges, to take on board as much as possible this seaweed, and badge, truck to the appropriate place. After two (2) to three (3) weeks burn, and monitor until consumed. In other words, we should work our talk, rather than continuing talking what we are not doing.
Is it fair to continue having government workers employed that mostly talk about problems, but do little to help solve them?
Doesn't this prove a lack of productive leadership by our political talk-much, but do-little, collect-much leaders. Yes, it surely does.
Do whatever it takes to protect all sensitive beaches, ports, bays, marinas, etc with moored floating barricades to keep the drifting weed at sea to continue drifting west towards the open Atlantic or other islands. So far the only BVI coastal owners protecting their beaches and marinas are the Peter Island and Nanny Cay resorts.
It is both frustrating and disheartening to witness the ongoing crisis caused by the unchecked influx of Sargassum across our shores, while those entrusted with the responsibility to protect and serve the public remain comfortably detached from the reality on the ground.
Government officials, ensconced in air-conditioned offices and chauffeured vehicles with windows tightly sealed, seem oblivious to the suffocating stench, the economic toll, and the environmental damage this crisis continues to cause. Meanwhile, local businesses, fishermen, tourism operators, and ordinary residents are left to grapple with the consequences of an issue that demands urgent and coordinated intervention.
The Sargassum issue is not new. Its impacts are well-documented. And yet, despite years of warning signs and countless complaints from affected communities, little to nothing has been done. The government’s inaction sends a clear and unfortunate message: that the well-being of the people and the sustainability of our environment are secondary to personal comfort and political optics.
It is high time our leaders stepped out from behind their desks, breathed the same air we breathe, and witnessed firsthand the damage that complacency has caused. We demand leadership that works — not one that watches from behind tinted glass.
The people of the British Virgin Islands deserve better.
Your comment is relevant to so many issues that affect the BVI and the Caribbean in general. As you say, problems can't be seen from behind an office desk or the tinted glass of an airconditioned government vehicle.