For years, Saint Lucians along the east and south coasts have grown used to the seasonal arrival of sargassum seaweed – an unwelcome guest that blankets beaches and chokes marine life. But from last month, this phenomenon has taken an alarming turn, reaching the previously untouched shores of the north and west coasts. Residents of Castries, Choiseul, and Soufrière have reported heavy landings of sargassum for the first time, triggering widespread concern.
“This year has been unlike any other,” says Saphira Hunt, Caribbean programme officer at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. “Beaches that never used to see a single strand of sargassum are now buried in it.”
According to Hunt, climate change is the primary driver behind the growing sargassum crisis. Warmer waters and altered wind patterns are pushing the seaweed further west and north than ever before.
“From my experience, we’ve always had sargassum in the Caribbean. But this is different. It takes a massive effort to keep the beaches clean. And for fishermen, it’s very difficult. The seaweed gets into the boat engines too and that makes it difficult for them to get out to sea.”
Hunt points out that in some communities, the sheer volume of seaweed has reshaped coastlines and affected mangroves and seagrass beds that serve as fish nurseries.
“Jetties have been destroyed; that’s the reality,” she says, referring to local fishing areas that are now inaccessible.
While some fishers acknowledge sargassum brings with it a few desirable species like Almaco Jack (known locally as Kawang or Backs la Mer), many say the damage far outweighs any benefits.
“We cannot even catch tuna because it getting tangled up in the net,” says Christopher, a fisherman in Castries. “That sargassum thing giving us headaches. It’s not good at all.”
Jude Auguste, a veteran fisherman from Vieux Fort, says the seaweed has become a daily battle. “We used to launch out quick with the engine, but now we have to row out far to avoid jamming the propellers. It’s taking time and burning us out.”
Beyond the economic cost, there is a serious ecological price being paid. “Sargassum is suffocating our turtles,” says Hunt. “When it piles up offshore, it blocks them from surfacing to breathe. And on land, it creates a barrier that prevents females from reaching the nesting sites.”
Fishermen say stranded marine life is a common sight now. “We’ve seen everything from dead turtles to juvenile fish trapped in the sargassum mat. It’s a slow death,” Auguste says.
The decomposing sargassum also lowers water oxygen levels and blocks sunlight, affecting coral reefs and seagrass beds already stressed by warming seas.
So what’s the solution?
Hunt says cleanup efforts are essential, but they’re a short-term fix. “We need to think long-term – about managing nutrients entering the Atlantic from the Amazon basin, about global emissions, about better policies. But it’s a big task.”
She also warns that mechanical clean-up methods can cause further damage: “When heavy machinery is used, it compacts the sand and destroys nesting grounds for turtles. It’s a lose-lose situation unless done carefully.”
With the hurricane season around the corner, many fear that more sargassum could be on the way. Saint Lucia, like many other Caribbean nations, will need to brace for what’s becoming a new normal.
“This is not just a beach problem,” Hunt emphasises. “It’s a marine, economic, and climate problem. And if we don’t address it at all levels, it’s going to keep getting worse.”
What is sargassum?
Sargassum is a brown, free-floating seaweed that originates in the Sargasso Sea, a region of the North Atlantic Ocean. While it plays an important role in open ocean ecosystems — providing shelter and food for fish, turtles and invertebrates — large landings onshore can be devastating.
Sargassum becomes a problem when vast mats drift westward across the Atlantic, fuelled by nutrient pollution from rivers like the Amazon and increasingly warm ocean temperatures. When it washes up on shore, it begins to decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide – a gas that smells like rotten eggs and can be harmful in large quantities.
