ALGAE AMBIVALENCES

Algae
Ambivalences

Algae
Ambivalences

Sargassum

Sargassum is a genus of brown algae found in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic. Two species (Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans) have become holopelagic, reproducing vegetatively and never attaching to the seafloor during their life cycles. This website deals with these free-floating species, which have been named the Algae of the Year 2024 by the German Botanical Society. Sargassum obtains its buoyancy from its gas-filled bladders and has long, strap-like, and leafy fronds that are usually golden-brown to dark brown in color. Sargassum serves as a critical habitat and nursery for many species and it provides food, shade, shelter and breeding ground when it floats in the open ocean. Large floating masses of Sargassum can drift with ocean currents and cover vast areas, forming what is known as the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. Since 2011, however, Sargassum also occurs in large quantities in the Caribbean, including: Barbados, Martinique, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, and Mexico. While Sargassum plays an essential ecological role in marine ecosystems, excessive blooms or influxes can become a problem for coastal regions. These unusually large and persistent Sargassum blooms have led to concerns about their impact on tourism, coastal ecosystems, and local economies. Research and monitoring efforts are ongoing to better understand Sargassum blooms, their causes, and potential solutions for managing their environmental and economic effects. Fieldwork in these regions demonstrate that people by no means interpret Sargassum in the same fashion; instead, multiple perspectives, practices of dealing with it, and future imaginaries have emerged, highlighting that the arrival of Sargassum is, indeed, ambivalent. 

“Sargassum is a nuisance!”
– fisherman from Mahahual
“To me, sargassum is the revenge of mother nature for our bad behavior on earth!”
– resident of Puerto Morelos
“Sargassum is a great economic opportunity for a variety of products.”
– entrepreneur from Tulum
“We should just accept it and leave it. It will be our new normal in the Caribbean!”
– environmentalist from Cancún
“Sargassum is a catastrophe. When I walk down our beaches, I could do nothing but cry!”
– reef ecologist from Puerto Morelos
“The arrival of Sargassum has created so many challenges for our community, ranging from economic threat to ecosystem fragility.”
– resident of Akumal

Reef

The Great Mayan Reef, officially known as the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, stretches 1,000 kilometers along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. It is a key component of the Caribbean ecosystem. The reef system is degrading at an alarming rate, and one suspected actor is Sargassum, which makes photosynthesis below the surface more difficult for underwater flora and fauna. Sargassum has also been associated with degraded water quality, depleting nutrient levels and changing the colors of coastal waters. A damaged reef is a significant environmental problem, and goes hand in hand with a damaged beach, as reef degradation leads to beach erosion.

“The reef is what I consider a breaker zone. It protects our shores from heavy waves and wind.”
– Flora, marine biologist
“We all know that the reef has been declining for the past 25 years. And now Sargassum was another bad news. Because it brings along too many nutrients. Our reefs have everything against them.”
– Miguel, environmental activist
“The reef is eroding at an alarming rate. The seagrasses are going to deteriorate even further, near the shore, most of them are gone already because of the Sargassum brown tides. I have never seen that before, and the sea is not like it was before Sargassum.”
– Eva, marine biologist

Tourists

Tourism in the Mayan Riviera accounts for 80 % of the region’s economic activity. The industry sells paradise: the area’s beautiful beaches and turquoise waters have been made into a picture-perfect vacation spot for visitors. Sargassum arrivals have, however, transformed this image of beach paradise into a smelly, unsightly, dirty landscape. When Sargassum interacts with tourists, it can make them feel nauseous with its smell overriding the oceanic breeze, it can contribute to less aesthetic holiday photos, and get entangled around anyone who dares to enter the water. Tourists’ distaste for Sargassum drives an urgency to address it – an urgency that both calls for expensive interventions like barriers or beach cleaners, as well as attention towards maintaining ecosystem integrity.
“Because of the tourist industry Sargassum gets a lot of attention. We have beach tourism here, so clean beaches are essential for the industry to survive. But I observe that tourists become less interested in our beaches because of Sargassum. They go out to clubs, or drink at the bar. Or they make use of our cenotes. They have another sort of entertainment for folks. And if that happens, well then, I’m worried that people will forget about our coasts and the ocean.”
– Ramon, resident of Mahahual
“People do no longer travel to the Mexican Caribbean with confidence. They are concerned about Sargassum. And they ask prior to their arrival: How is the situation? Is there Sargassum in the water or on the beach? They want to avoid it. And they start cancelling.”
– Evelyn, hotel manager
“I always had this image of Mexico, that we would see really white sandy beaches there. I rather had the expectation that it would be a bit more fancy, and a bit more inauthentic, but just really cool beaches. But then it was completely different than I thought. So we were in Playa del Carmen […] and I know that we really tried to go to the beach and I remember that we were totally surprised. Because there was so much of this algae. And we also did not know how to deal with it. So we still tried to swim through it somehow because we thought, ok, somewhere behind it’s better but it was not pleasant, and in the end we spent one, two days at, at the sea”.
– Anna, tourist

Whale shark

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean. Isla Mujeres, an island off the coast of Yucatán, serves as a hotspot for whale shark encounters due to the abundance of plankton – their primary food source. Every year, from approximately May to September, these majestic creatures migrate to the area to feed and mate. Whale shark encounters are one of the main tourist attractions. Recently, however, fewer whale sharks were spotted and tour guides are wondering if that could be related to Sargassum. Even though that has not yet been scientifically proven, this dynamic expresses what is frequently observed on-site: The changes people perceive puzzle them and create uncertainty, often assuming that Sargassum plays a significant role in the changes they observe.
“I do not believe that Sargassum directly impacts whale sharks, but any changes in the ecosystem can have cascading effects on marine life, including changes in the distribution and abundance of plankton, for example. Sargassum could have an impact on the whale sharks’ food availability.”
– Mirja, marine biologist
“I have heard that fewer whale sharks are in the area. I also know that some people say that tourists scare them, and that that is the reason why they are less abundant in Isla Mujeres. But still I wanted to tick that box on my list. Others do it too, right, so why should I relinquish?!
– Monica, tourist

Turtles

The Mexican Caribbean is home to many sea turtles – but not a home without struggle. Sea turtles were hunted for both food and trophy for centuries. In addition, pollution, industrial fishing practices, sea-based tourism and coastal development are impacting sea turtle populations significantly. In Akumal Bay, whose name means ‘place of the turtles’ in the Mayan language, efforts are in place to protect loggerhead and green turtles. Beached Sargassum poses a challenge for local species. Turtles can get trapped in the tangled mats of seaweed, preventing them from laying eggs, or if they do manage to nest, the rotting Sargassum on the beach poses a toxic threat to the eggs and eventual hatchlings. It makes their ‘march into the sea’ all the more daunting, as they must overcome Sargassum barriers to make it into the water.

“In the morning we often find endless amounts of trash on the beach. Shower gel bottles, Coke bottles, old shoes, medical products. Everything interwoven in the Sargassum. And sometimes in the middle of it all, turtle hatchlings. I often ask myself: Where does all this lead to?”
– Loreena, marine biologist
“If we see that a turtle placed her nest close to Sargassum piles, we need to relocate that nest because it is toxic. We need to relocate that nest because it can kill every single egg. The huge problem now is that we are losing areas for nesting because of Sargassum. We have so many piles on the beach, that the turtles cannot cross the sand”
– Alesia, turtle conservation program
“Sargassum really is like a barrier. It’s not flexible, and it can pile up in huge amounts. Turtles cannot cross. Sargassum really makes the life of turtles difficult here in Akumal.”
– Juan, turtle conservation program

Seagrass

Seagrass meadows (underwater fields of grass) are an unsuspecting – yet critical – actor in ensuring beach paradise along the Caribbean coastline. They play a pivotal role in coastal ecosystems, contribute to coastal stability, prevent coastal erosion, slow down storms and hurricanes, feed various species, and offer a habitat to many different creatures. Yet the condition of seagrasses in Mexico and elsewhere is deteriorating increasingly. Seagrass beds are suffering from climate change and anthropogenic impact on the environment. One culprit in seagrass deterioration is Sargassum. Its arrival changes the pH level, temperature, and quality of coastal waters as well as preventing photosynthesis of seagrass by blocking out sunlight under the surface. Deteriorating and dying seagrass meadows create vulnerability in the coastal ecosystem and threaten various species and industries reliant on it.

“Since we have had Sargassum arrivals, I realize more and more dead seagrass on the beaches. I have learned that when there is Sargassum the seagrasses die, because of the turbidity and the low oxygen Sargassum brings about. That really worries me because we need seagrasses as coastal protection.”
– Flora, marine biologist

“Where the Sargassum brown tide is, everything dies. Everything on the bottom. All the benthic species, any small corals, all seagrasses, and all fish. Everyone who could not move out in time dies, because everybody needs oxygen.”
– Eva, marine biologist

“The beaches are eroding because the seagrass is disappearing. Because the seagrasses, they keep the sand on the ridge.”
– Eva, marine biologist

Fish

The Great Mayan Reef is home to some of the most impressive fish species. Their bright colors and mesmerizing biodiversity attract tourists from all over the world. But the arrival of Sargassum in the region is changing the habits of Caribbean fish. Around the reef and in coastal waters, Sargassum deprives waters of oxygen and change its pH, temperature, and quality. The algae transform the reef – once a haven for fish – into an inhospitable environment, pushing fish like parrot fish, angel fish, eels, and surgeons to move closer to shore, and ultimately resulting in unprecedented fish mortality. In the open ocean, the interaction between Sargassum and fish is different, as the algae acts like a refuge, providing food, shelter, and protection in open waters. Whether along the coast or in the open ocean, Sargassum is changing the way fish live in the Caribbean.

“In the open ocean, Sargassum is a refuge for a lot of small fish, for a lot of fauna, there are animals, shrimps, and the Sargassum fish of course. Sargassum provides some sort of structure in the otherwise unstructured open ocean. It’s a complex and important ecosystem in the middle of the ocean. It’s beautiful, it’s great. If it stays there, there is no problem at all.”
– Eva, marine biologist
“More often, I find fish dead on shore or in shallow water. The smell is horrible, and it makes me so sad. What kills them, I believe, is the decrease of oxygen related to Sargassum decomposition. Our reef fish face a very hard time.”
– Flora, marine biologist
“I am not surprised that the fish die in our shallow waters now. When I was a kid, the area was like an aquarium. I was able to observe colorful fish from the beach. But that is history. Now, when a lot of Sargassum arrives and you put your finger in the water, it feels hot. Sargassum is polluting our coastal waters, and when it feels like it burns my finger, I am not surprised that the fish die.”
– Ramon, resident of Mahahual

Water

Clear blue water is becoming less of a reality with the arrival of Sargassum. Near the coast, decomposing Sargassum changes the pH level, temperature, and quality of the water. These changes in the water effect the reef, fish, and fauna ecosystems as well – often in damaging ways. But some of Sargassum’s water interactions are less easy to see and less appreciated. In the open ocean, Sargassum looks like a beautiful floating wreath of gold that absorbs excess nutrients in eutrophied waters and stores them in its frilly body. It shelters small fish and sea creatures providing unique, floating habitat. Sargassum’s water relations are complex and dynamic.
“I first saw Sargassum in the water. It was everywhere. And I had never seen it before. When it floats in the ocean, it looks golden and quite beautiful. I was fascinated by it and collected my first samples. That is how I developed my interest in Sargassum.”
– Mia, marine biologist
“Sargassum is putting in so much organic material I think the system has never received in its evolution at least over the last thousands of years. We, as humans, already contaminate the ecosystem with our trash and run-offs. But Sargassum accelerates the process by 30 times. Sargassum really increases the anthropogenic impact we are already causing on the Mexican Caribbean system.”
– Eva, marine biologist
“Because we, all human beings, we’re contributing with all the trash and everything else that we through into the ocean, to make the oceans suffer a lot. But the sea is very smart, it’s taking out whatever it doesn’t want anymore, and brings it back to the people. So along with the Sargassum comes all the plastic trash back to shore.”
– Orlando, entrepreneur

Fisher

Fishing secures as the livelihood of many people and families in the Caribbean. It is, however, vulnerable to the ever-fluctuating environment. The repercussions of climate change have shifted the way fisher fish in the Caribbean. Thick mats of Sargassum prove to be a new obstacle to navigate through and around for fisherman – sometimes entangling boats and damaging engines. Massive fish mortality has lessened available fish stocks. New species of fish have arrived – such as the Amber fish – that have changed the type of fish being caught. Some have also resigned and given up fishing altogether, looking for other jobs instead.

“Nobody really listens to us. And it feels as if we are moving backwards instead of forward. All the time, the politicians pretend to know better. But they do not understand nature. We have lived with the ocean forever. I have messages, but nobody wants to listen.”
– Juan, fisherman in Mahahual
“For a lot of people along the coasts, the main source of livelihood is fish. Through fishing they take care of the family. Through fishing, they can afford the necessities of life. Imagine you spent a lot of money to prepare to go fishing. Instead of fish you will find heaps of Sargassum in your nets. The money that you used to prepare to go to sea to fish, the money cannot be retrieved. It increases the poverty level of the already-poor in the community.”
– Raúl, fisheries department
“The fishery community suffers very, very badly, because Sargassum essentially shut down the fisheries, for many reasons. It was all over the beach, you couldn’t launch the boats, you couldn’t access the water, fisher were scared about going out in fishing grounds and getting stuck. Some hit a patch of Sargassum in the night, they did not see it and it blocked their engine. Their engines overheated, and the fisher had to wait far out at sea had to be towed by other boats out of the Sargassum. They panicked.”
– Flora, marine biologist

Tour guides

Tour guides along the Riviera Maya offer snorkeling trips, fishing adventures, and turtle encounters. They walk up and down the beaches, wait in front of jetties for newly arrived guests, or roam the streets to attract potential customers. Tour guides are worried about and already affected by tour cancellations, less demand, and Sargassum’s impact on marine life. In addition, they must invest time and financial resources in cleaning and removal activities. What challenges them is the fact that Sargassum blooms are hard to predict and are subject to seasonal variability, making planning their activities more difficult. To mitigate the impact the algae has on their businesses, tour guides and operators have begun diversifying their offerings, adjusting schedules, and educating tourists about the conditions on the beach and possible alternatives to spend their holidays.

“I have many pictures on my phone with very bad Sargassum conditions. When clients approach me, I show them how bad it can get – and assure them, that they won’t have to encounter that if they book with me!”
– Alejandro, tour guide

“In the past, travelers only inquired about the security situation in the Yucatán when they contacted me about my tours. But now it is always the question about Sargassum. Sargassum first, security second. The algae arrival has really changed their concerns.”
– Nina, tour guide

“I have studied marine biology, and I loved what I was doing. But together with my family, I decided not to work in the field, but instead join the tourism industry. That pays much better! And for many years it did, but now I can feel the difference. I sell my snorkeling tours less often, and tourists tend to spend more time at the pool instead of on tours.”
– Ramón, snorkel guide

Scientists

Home of the Great Mayan Reef, the Caribbean is no stranger to scientists who are often the go-to people for information and knowledge about happenings in the ocean, reef, and coastal ecosystems. With excessive Sargassum influxes, the public and the media have turned to researchers for answers. Sargassum necessarily shifted research interests, projects, and programs to try to gather as much information as possible on what was causing Sargassum influxes, what the ecosystem impacts were and what avenues of action existed to move forward. Ongoing research continues to expand and deepen the understanding of Sargassum and its entanglement in the larger coastal, reef, and ocean ecosystem, even if it has the challenge of keeping up with pace of environmental change due to Sargassum.

“I never thought I need to work on coastal restoration one day, but that is all I am now working on. How to restore the seagrass meadows of the Mexican Caribbean is now one of my major concerns. I’m not studying flowers anymore, the bugs pollinating the flowers, etc. I’m studying how to restore the shore. Sargassum changed my work and research interest tremendously.”
– Flora, marine biologist

“The knowledge we have about Sargassum is relatively brief because it has just been a phenomenon here for a few years. Many things about the algae remain unclear, and the more research we do, the more questions we have. To be honest, we have very little information as of now”.  
– Tadeo, marine biologist

“It was not me who chose Sargassum, it really chose me. I had never intended to research these algae, but now that it is populating our coast, I must.”
– Loreena, marine biologist

Beach cleaners

The arrival of atypical amounts of Sargassum and the urgency to rid the waters and the beaches of its presence has made beach cleaners all the more important in the Caribbean. Cleaning the beach can be done in a variety of ways. Some cleaning crews use heavy machinery to scoop and transport the Sargassum away from the coast. Another method is the use of a giant sieve that filters sand from seaweed in effort to avoid beach erosion and sand loss through the cleaning process. Often, Sargassum is cleaned away manually by laborers with rakes in hand. It’s challenging and often precarious work that is not without physical risk. Rotting Sargassum releases ammonia and hydrogen sulfite, which at prolonged exposures can make humans sick and cause respiratory distress. During peak times, the challenging and dangerous work of cleaning the beach must be repeated every morning with the new arrival of Sargassum.

“The people who clean the beaches earn very little money. But there are always a lot of people willing to work. The people who work with Sargassum are almost all construction workers. They always work with subcontractors, and these people are the ones who mainly work with the Sargassum now.”
– Ramon, resident of Mahahual
“When I clean Sargassum, I don’t look towards the water, I always look towards the land. It is too frustrating. You see it arriving and you know what’s coming when you’re cleaning. Sargassum is heavy and working in the heat with the smell is not pleasant.”
– Martina, beach cleaner
“I do it all day long. The beach is clean, but the next day, it looks the same again. Overnight, it all comes back. And we clean again. That goes on and on, and no end is in sight.”
– Diego, beach cleaner

Entrepreneurs

Get rich of it or get rid of it – is a sentiment prevalent in the field. While many people are hoping for a future without Sargassum, others believe that it holds great potential for economic success. Different entrepreneurs are working towards products based on Sargassum: they include fertilizer, biofuel, vegan leather, soap, paper, and bricks to build houses. Of course, cleaning beaches and removing Sargassum also has become an industry itself in the Caribbean. The Sargassum entrepreneurship scene is a growing one, that rapidly internationalizes and connects – often young – minds from across the world.

“Whatever nature gives us must be good, so I believe in making products out of Sargassum. My trust in nature made me work towards finding a solution that adds economic value to the region, and that made me invest in my idea of creating building blocks out of Sargassum.”
– Omar, entrepreneur
“When I first saw the Sargassum problem, I was immediately reminded of my childhood in Canada, where I observed that people removed algae from our lakes by using specific boats. That childhood memory is the basis for my company: I bought a couple of these boats, brought them here, and let them operate in the shallow waters.”
– Dean, entrepreneur
“The problem with all these small businesses is that they have no security in terms of the law. We have not yet even figured out who is responsible for handling Sargassum: the navy, the municipality, the fisheries, the hotels? Until that is not solved, I don’t think that bigger companies would invest.”
– Eva, marine biologist

Sand

The white, flawless sand of the Mexican Caribbean is an integral part of the image of beach paradise that underpins the region’s tourism industry. But this image is becoming more and more of a challenge to make good on. Sand is disappearing due to coastal erosion brought about by excessive arrivals of Sargassum which have prompted intense and frequent cleanings where sand, entangled with the rotting seaweed, is often transported away from the beach and buried further inland. The sand that is left of the beach is also changing, from the soft and white expectation to a hard and greyish brown reality, resulting from Sargassum decomposition on the beach.

“The texture of our beaches has changed so much since we have had Sargassum. Sometimes, the sand feels like concrete, very hard. It has lost both its softness and its color. It looks much darker now, sometimes grey, sometimes brown. Because the decomposed Sargassum is like dust, and it mixes with the sand. We will never be able to separate these two again.”
–  Orlando, entrepreneur
“We are losing a lot of sand because of Sargassum removal from the beaches. For me it’s heartbreaking that we are losing sand because we do not have much of it. Sometimes, people even bury Sargassum under the sand. They are creating a toxic pitch here.”
– Alesia, turtle conservation program
“People say that the sand is getting dirty, like grayish or something. Well, the water as well. The water has changed, it’s not clear water now. People say because of Sargassum the sand and the water have gotten some brownish color.”
– Jenaro, reef ecologist

Hotel owners

The beach paradise of the Caribbean is produced through the commodification of natural resources. Hotel owners are major financial beneficiaries. But when excessive Sargassum arrivals threaten this image of paradise and the tourism industry as a whole, those hotels are also some of the most economically impacted. To make good on the promised beach paradise and keep tourists – and their dollars – coming through the hotel doors, hotel owners need a clean beach, free of Sargassum. Many hoteliers along the Caribbean coast have significantly invested in strategies to keep the beach clean from installing barriers to hiring workers to manually rake the beaches free of seaweed. The diverse interventions have varied impact both on the amounts of piled Sargassum as well as on the larger ecosystem.

“We try to clean the beaches every day. It causes a lot of financial trouble for my business. And it is not only the Sargassum. There is so much trash stuck in the algae. My cleaners have pulled out chairs, and a lot of shoes. So it really is not clear what we should do with all of that once we have removed it.”
– Santiago, hotel owner
“I just try to clean up any trash that comes in with it, so it is not stuck in there with it. I’ve pulled chairs out and shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. It gets pushed up in a little area and when the tide goes out I go in there to pick out trash once a month. At times I feel like my beach looking like a dumping ground.”
– Santiago, hotel owner
“I can also really understand, that at times, there’s no other way to clean the Sargassum than to use heavy machinery. It’s bad for the beach. I think they should really avoid it at all costs and instead install barriers, and clear the area, etc. But that’s expensive and only the big hotels can pay for that. The small hotels – there’s no way they can afford doing that. It’s incredibly expensive.”
– Eva, marine biologist
“If you’re going to build a hotel now, in this area, you need to understand that if you receive Sargassum, how are you going to manage it in front of the beach? You have to do that because if you still build like there was no Sargassum, then you will likely fail.”
– Jenaro, reef ecologist

Cenote

Cenotes are natural sinkholes or freshwater pools formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock, revealing underground water sources. The Yucatán Peninsula is renowned for its abundance of cenotes. These underground pools are not only geologically fascinating but also culturally and historically significant to the Maya civilization. The ancient Maya considered cenotes to be sacred places, using them for religious ceremonies and as a vital water source. Today, cenotes also play a significant role in the tourist landscape: travelers swim in the crystal-clear turquoise waters, they dive in the caves, and have drinks in the hammocks. The arrival of Sargassum impacts cenotes and their fragile ecosystem for two reasons: More and more tourists are bathing in the cenotes, leaving behind trash and sunscreen residue. Sargassum that is improperly disposed of in the jungle becomes liquid and seeps into the cenotes, leading to an increase in nutrients that alter the ecosystem.

“I am worried when I see how many people now jump in the cenotes. And they find all of them, even the hidden ones. It is too much pressure for these eco-systems, and we must not forget that they are, in the end, all connected. Impacting one means impacting all of them”.
– Eva, marine biologist
“Tourists mind the beach because of Sargassum. So they come here, they want to see the cenote. I let them swim here, they can have a beer, and they can spend the day with family and friends. I make them pay 20 USD, and honestly, my business benefits from the algae.”
– Eden, cenote operator
“We will collect some water samples at this place, because what we see here is what we call an ‘ojo de agua’, a water eye. Here the water flows back from the cenotes into the ocean. In the end, it is all connected. I have already found remnants of cocaine and other drugs in my sample, and I hope to find out the impact Sargassum has on the cenotes’ ecosystem using the same method.”
– Paolo, lab assistant

Beach

Pause a moment to think about what makes up ‘Caribbean paradise’. You’re probably imagining white sandy beaches, palm trees offering shade and coconuts, and glistening water extending an invitation to go on a snorkeling trip. Excessive arrivals of Sargassum have made ‘paradise’ becoming less and less of a reality. Beached Sargassum piles up along the shoreline, rotting in the sun, releasing a sulfurous odor, and turning the white sand into a muddy brown. It also decomposes in shallow waters along the shore, turning the once-clear water into something that looks more like coffee; scientists refer to this condition as brown tide. Sargassum is often removed from beaches, but that also comes with its challenges: loss of sand that’s transported with the wet seaweed to its final dumping place, palm trees whose roots are exposed from the removal, and heavy machinery employed which compresses the sand and makes the beach hard enough to ride a bicycle on.

“I think we already created some sort of tolerance for Sargassum. Maybe if the beach is full of Sargassum, but the water is still nice, maybe not the best turquoise-ish color, but still blue, not turning into brown, we can still go to the beach and have some fun and enjoy the day.”
– Miguel, environmental activist
“We’re losing the sand of the beach; erosion is becoming a big problem. To restore the beach, it’s very expensive, so it’s better to invest that money to prevent than to try to repair.”
– Flora, marine biologist
“They’ve never been very wide, but our beaches have lost between 10 or 20 meters of beach. Partly because of the Sargassum removal practices. They remove the Sargassum until everything is gone. I always said: leave a little bit, so that less sand is taken away.”
– Eva, marine biologist