EDITORIAL - Time to put seaweed to good use

One popular television personality has opined that if Sargassum seaweed was a cure for cancer, we would not have the problem that we are currently facing. It would be great if indeed if this were the case, because there is plenty of it to go around now the seaweed has returned.

 

Islanders can appreciate the problem that we as a tourist destination face when it comes to this  issue. Many tourists are apprehensive about bathing on beaches lined with the unsightly and smelly substance. 

 

If you recall back in 2011, when such a problem surfaced and considerable amounts of seaweed took over a vast expanse of the seashore, there was much ado about the unattractive, though harmless nuisance. Unsure about why there was such a high proliferation of it and how long it was going to last, top professionals in the health, agricultural and ecological sectors drew on their expertise to see how best to deal with the situation. There have been a few solutions offered for use of the seaweed, but nothing concrete to date that could even prove to be a major money earner for Barbados.

 

In the meantime, several uses have been offered for use of the Sargassum seaweed elsewhere. Asian countries are said to have the most experience with consuming seaweed. There, it is frequently used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent, and it can also be found in traditional Chinese medicines as a tea used for reducing phlegm buildup. 

 

However, we in Barbados do not know that much about the seaweed in our region to be bold enough to use it as such…just yet.

 

Making organic mulch is another way to use the seaweed, this time in the agriculture domain. This mulch is a protective layer covering the soil which can help with weed control, increase moisture retention, and promote healthy soil. It has been noted that after ensuring that all the salt has been washed off, a two to three-inch layer of seaweed can be applied over the soil.

 

The seaweed, it is said, can also be used as a fertiliser. However, to gain the full benefits without causing any damage to crops, certain treatments and methods must be exercised since the seaweed has a high salt content, and if applied directly to the soil it will increase its alkalinity.

 

We can be sure that there are many more uses. However, until we can conduct additional research on the seaweed, we will need to embark on coastline cleanup campaigns as before to 

ensure that our tourism product is no longer affected by the proliferation of rotting seaweed on our beaches. Barbadians should not wait on any partial agency, but should do their part in participating in these beach clean-ups to get rid of the brown plant matter ruining our lovely beaches.

 

Government may need to issue a rallying call again for groups to aid in this process. A while back we saw Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre offering $25 per tonne to haulers bringing the seaweed for processing, so that it could be used as a mulching agent for agro activities. Maybe such an initiative needs to be launched again as well, if it is no longer ongoing.