Sargassum build up on a Northern Antiguan beach (picture by Cory Wayland – Antigua.news)
With the warmer months comes the seasonal scourge of sargassum – the seaweed invasion that assaults the island’s beautiful shoreline and threatens to turn paradise into an eyesore. This year is no different, as many Caribbean countries struggle with what has become the new normal.
Orville Charles grew up in Potters Village, Antigua. After graduating from the University of Baltimore with a degree in Digital Communication, he spent years in the Social Work field, serving vulnerable populations and doing community outreach. He is an avid student of History, with many years of freelance experience in Multimedia.
Great story! It’s essential to raise awareness about the challenges sargassum presents to the beautiful Caribbean shores. And, just as the story suggests, we can use lemons to make lemonade. We can utilize that smelly, stinky thing and generate gas, as I have seen many trying to do. We are still in the exploration stage, so let’s continue the exploration
Beyond just cleaning it up, the ‘synergy’ needs to be about turning this problem into an opportunity. Are other islands successfully converting it into fertilizer or other products? How can we scale those solutions regionally? This video needs to spark not just cooperation on collection, but on innovation and economic diversification from sargassum. It’s a massive biomass; let’s find a collective way to make it work for us.
The ongoing problem of sargassum seaweed invading our shores is raising some important questions about how we work together in the Caribbean when it comes to managing our environment. That matter needs more research if you ask me. As this issue has become more common, it’s clear we need to come together as CARICOM countries to tackle it. And every year the week seem to increase and smell more eh. I am thinking that this shared challenge actually inspire us to come up with new solutions
We should also think about whether dealing with the sargassum problem could lead to better collaboration on bigger environmental policies, sustainable tourism practices, and managing our marine resources.
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Breezy July 15, 2025, 8:05 PM
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