Belize's Sargassum Surge: Understanding The Seaweed's Impact On The Country's Coastline

Belize's coastlines have been plagued by sargassum, a type of brown algae, since 2011. The seaweed, which is integral to marine life, has been invading the shores of Belize in recent years, causing a blow to the country's tourism industry. The influx of sargassum has been attributed to various factors, including changes in currents and water temperatures due to global warming, and agricultural runoff rich with fertilizer. While small amounts of sargassum can be beneficial for the environment, large quantities can be detrimental. The seaweed releases a foul smell as it rots on the beach, affecting the tourism industry and requiring manual removal by workers. Various initiatives have been implemented to combat the issue, including the formation of task forces, the use of beach rakes, and the development of nature-based solutions.

The impact of sargassum on Belize's tourism industry

Sargassum, a type of brown algae, has become a significant concern for Belize in recent years, as masses of it wash up on the country's shores, releasing an unpleasant odour as it decomposes. This has had a detrimental effect on Belize's tourism industry, which is a driving force of the country's economy.

The piles of sargassum and its strong odour are a direct threat to Belize's tourism industry. Visitors do not want to be near the sight and smell of the sargassum, nor do they want to be unable to swim in the sea without becoming entangled in the seaweed. This has resulted in travel plans being derailed or cancelled, affecting beachside hotels and restaurants, which are the primary establishments facing the threat of sargassum.

The impact of sargassum on tourism was particularly notable in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye (east coast), Caye Caulker, and Tobacco Caye, which were among the areas surveyed in Belize that showed the highest impact. Other areas, including Dangriga Town, the villages of Hopkins and Placencia in the Stann Creek District, and Punta Gorda Town in the Toledo District, showed a medium effect.

The influx of sargassum has also had consequences for tour operators, who have had to offer excursions further away from the coast, affecting the quality of their tours and increasing fuel expenses. In addition, National Protected Areas have seen a decrease in income from tourism.

To address the issue, Belize has implemented various measures, including tax relief for coastal hotels, duty exemptions for tourism businesses importing equipment for cleaning efforts, and financial support for municipalities in beach clean-up. The country has also formed a Sargassum Task Force comprising various government ministries, departments, and stakeholders to tackle the problem.

Despite these efforts, the sargassum continues to be a challenge for Belize's tourism industry, and finding a long-lasting solution remains a priority.

The origin of sargassum

Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae (seaweed) that floats in island-like masses and never attaches to the seafloor. It is a free-floating seaweed-like algae that grows and propagates on the water's surface using little air-filled "berries" so that it floats. These "berries" are actually gas-filled structures called pneumatocysts, which are mostly filled with oxygen and add buoyancy to the plant structure.

The Sargasso Sea, located entirely within the Atlantic Ocean, is the only sea without a land boundary. It was named after the algae, as it hosts a large amount of sargassum. The sea is bound by the Gulf Stream and the major Atlantic currents, and it is a critical habitat and feeding ground for marine life of all sizes.

While the Sargasso Sea is a known source of sargassum blooms, variations in the sargassum types suggest that the inundation events may have a different point of origin. Recent studies have identified three likely drivers of nutrient influx linked to increasing sargassum biomass:

• An increase in nutrient output from the Amazon River
• Increased nutrients in the Gulf of Mexico
• Coastal upwelling off the West African Coast, which brings deep nutrient-rich waters to the surface where sargassum resides

Additionally, prevailing winds and ocean surface currents play a role in transporting sargassum to affected regions.

The effects of sargassum inundation events can be detrimental, causing oxygen-depleted zones, fish kills, and human health impacts due to the release of hydrogen sulfide gas. These events can also have significant economic impacts, particularly in the tourism industry, as they affect the aesthetics and accessibility of beaches and coastal areas.

Efforts to remove sargassum from Belize's beaches

Sargassum is a free-floating seaweed-like algae that floats in sometimes mile-long clumps. In large quantities, it becomes a problem for Belize's tourism industry, as it clogs shorelines, releases a strong odour, and affects the water quality.

Belize has been proactive in dealing with the influx of sargassum, conducting several projects and providing support to affected properties. Here are some of the key efforts to remove sargassum from Belize's beaches:

• Tax relief for coastal hotels: The government offered a 2% tax relief credit to coastal hotels from the 9% hotel tax in 2018-2019.
• Duty exemption for tourism businesses: The Sargassum Task Force (STF) successfully lobbied for a duty exemption facility for tourism businesses importing equipment, materials, or technology to support sargassum cleaning efforts.
• Financial support for municipalities: The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) provided $1.5 million to support municipalities in beach clean-up efforts.
• Formation of the Sargassum Task Force (STF): The STF comprises key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management, the Department of the Environment, the National Meteorological Service of Belize, and more. The STF works to address the sargassum issue and develop management plans.
• Municipal relief support: This includes the containment, collection, and disposal of sargassum at five destinations: San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, Seine Bight, and Placencia.
• Awareness campaigns: The STF launched campaigns on social media to inform tourists and stakeholders about the issue and best practices for sargassum management.
• Local forecasting mechanism: The STF, in collaboration with the Meteorological Service, developed a local forecasting mechanism to support weekly and daily sargassum forecasts for the country.
• Installation of booms: The potential use of booms, or containment barriers, to deflect sargassum away from the shores and towards collecting points is being explored. However, guidance from the Department of Environment and Belize Port Authority is recommended before installation.
• Manual labour and light machinery: The use of manual labour and light machinery is preferred over heavy machinery to minimise the impact on beaches and marine life.
• Training and education: The BTB, in collaboration with other organisations, is providing training to locals in San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, and Placencia in sorting and grading sargassum.
• Community efforts: The San Pedro Town Council launched a community effort to clean the beaches, hiring temporary employees and encouraging residents and businesses to join.
• Turning sargassum into valuable products: Other places and businesses are exploring ways to utilise sargassum, such as animal feed, bioplastics, lotions, and building materials. However, these solutions require time and resources.

The smell of sargassum and its effect on tourism

The smell of sargassum has been described as a sulphuric note, akin to rotten eggs. In large quantities, sargassum emits a gas with this unpleasant odour as it decomposes, which can be off-putting to tourists.

In Placencia, Belize, the influx of sargassum has reportedly had a significant effect on tourism, with the sight and smell of the seaweed making beaches highly unattractive, and swimming impossible. The gas released by the seaweed has also been reported to cause headaches, nausea, and skin irritation in people living near inundated areas.

Tourism is a driving force in Belize's economy, and the country is highly dependent on it. Beachside hotels and restaurants are the primary establishments facing the threat of sargassum head-on. Many travel plans have been derailed or cancelled due to concerns about arriving in idyllic San Pedro or Placencia, only to be greeted by the brown algae.

However, some have found creative solutions to the problem. In 2022, Belikin Beer introduced a seasonal beer called Sargassum Stout, made with a proprietary sargassum extract. The company's brewmaster, Nolan Michael, described their approach as trying to "incorporate local flavours" into their seasonal bottlings.

Belize has also been proactive in dealing with the influx of sargassum, conducting many projects and assisting affected properties. Some of these initiatives include tax relief for coastal hotels, duty exemptions for tourism businesses importing equipment and materials to support sargassum cleaning efforts, and financial support for municipalities in beach clean-up efforts.

The impact of sargassum on marine life

Sargassum is a genus of large brown seaweed (a type of algae) that floats in island-like masses and never attaches to the seafloor. It is abundant in the ocean and has leafy appendages, branches, and round, gas-filled structures called pneumatocysts, which are mostly filled with oxygen. These pneumatocysts add buoyancy to the plant structure and allow it to float on the surface.

Sargassum is an important part of the ocean ecosystem. Floating clumps, patches, large rafts, and weedlines of Sargassum can stretch for miles across the ocean and provide food, refuge, and breeding grounds for a variety of animals, including fish, sea turtles, marine birds, crabs, shrimp, and more. Some animals, like the Sargassum fish, live their entire lives exclusively in this habitat. Sargassum also serves as a primary nursery area for commercially important fish species such as mahi-mahi, jacks, and amberjacks.

However, Sargassum inundation events (SIEs) can have detrimental effects on aquatic life and coastal marine ecosystems when they occur in coastal areas with excessive Sargassum biomass. The decomposition of Sargassum in environments like beaches and warm, shallow waters results in poor water quality, characterised by low dissolved oxygen levels, low pH, elevated hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, and increased water temperatures. These changes in water quality can kill fish, benthic organisms, and corals. Additionally, SIEs can harm seagrasses and corals by blocking the light they need for health, reproduction, and survival, which has a cascading impact on the availability of food and habitats for other aquatic species.

The accumulation and decomposition of Sargassum can also produce dissolved organic matter that decreases light availability to seagrasses and corals, further contributing to their decline. The decaying Sargassum increases organic matter and nutrient concentrations, fuelling decomposition in the water and decreasing the availability of dissolved oxygen. These changes can lead to animal deaths, as observed during the 2018 Sargassum inundation event along the Mexican Caribbean coast.

Furthermore, Sargassum may impact aquatic species and their ecosystems by accumulating marine debris, including microplastics, and leaching heavy metals, pesticides, and other pollutants, which may be released during its decomposition.

The build-up of Sargassum on coastal areas can also affect sea turtles by blocking their access to beaches for laying eggs and impeding the movement of turtle hatchlings towards the ocean. Additionally, the presence of Sargassum on beaches has been found to impact the sex ratios of hatchlings, as the decomposing biomass can create lethal high temperatures for developing embryos.

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