Unprecented Influx Of Pelagic Sargassum Along Caribbean Island - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Unprecented Influx Of Pelagic Sargassum Along Caribbean Island Coastlines During 2011 James Franks, Donald Johnson, 1 Dong-Shan Ko, Guillermo Sanchez, Read Hendon and 2 Mitchell Lay Center for Fisheries Research & Development Gulf Coast Research Laboratory The University of Southern Mississippi 1 Naval Research Laboratory Stennis Space Center, Mississippi 2 Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organizations, Antigua 2 and Barbuda 64 th GCFI, Puerto Morelos, Mexico November 2011

Pelagic Sargassum - ‘Gulf weed’ Pelagic Brown Alga Class Phaeophyceae Drift alga Two holopelagic species, co-occur Occur in warm waters of Atlantic Ocean Asexual reproduction - fragmentation

Sargassum fluitans Sargassum natans

Dynamic ecosystem Essential Fish Habitat Diverse assemblage of marine life

GRENADA Photo credit: Richard Roach BARBADOS Crane Beach Photo credit: Hazel Oxenford

GUADELOUPE Porte de Désirade Porte d’Enfer – Anse-Bertrand All photos by Franck Mazéas, Responsable Unite biodiversité marine AMP / IFRECOR, Basse Terre

ANTIGUA Mamora Bay Eastern Shore Eli Fuller – Adventure Antigua Photo credit: Max Freeling; Bugpilot

ST. MARTIN , Grandaes Cayes Photo credit: Ouanalao Studios ST. BARTS ST. KITTS , North Frigate Bay Photo credit

Dominican Republic Playa Bavaro Playa de Juancho Photo credit:

Expressed Concerns and Reported Impacts Fisher livelihoods • Entangled lines and nets • Difficulties accessing fishery resources • Vessels: motor intakes (over-heating); launching issues Reefs, benthic communities & seagrasses • Reduced light levels, smothering, decomposition of Sargassum Mangroves; turtles (hatchlings) Power plant cooling water intakes; local infrastructure Tourism: incessant incursion of Sargassum into bays & onto shorelines; decomposition & consequences for local communities

RESPONSE Communications: media reports, videos, interviews, websites, GCFI listserv Aerial surveys – government agencies: assess extent & duration Resource assessments underway in some impacted areas • Biological & socio-economic Information exchange within fishing organizations & co-ops Mobilization of local communities/actions groups • Shoreline cleanups: Antigua & Barbuda Fisherman ’ s Coop.

QUESTIONS “W hy the massive influx of Sargassum” ? • Source/origin of the Sargassum ? • Transport pathway(s) into the region? • Changing/shifting currents regionally? • Local or regional productivity/nutrification event ? • Climate change – warming waters & accelerated growth ? • Duration: singular, annual or episodic event ?

Intra-Americas Sea Ocean Nowcast/Forecast System Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS USA Real-time operational numerical model: date & location of reported Sagassum coupled w/ current data to back-track movements/distribution of Sargassum through archived currents; predict drift pathways to region May – August 2011

Google Earth Sierra Leone: August 2011 500 km coastline affected by Sargassum Per: Andrew Huckbody; Huckbody Environmental Ltd.

Summary thoughts Summary Thoughts….  Connectivity across the tropical Atlantic via currents  Transport pathway(s) into Caribbean region • The local situation probably owes its existence to variation in meterological and oceanographic conditions.  Recurrence of 2011 event? • Monitor pelagic Sargassum in the region via combination of satellite imagery & ocean modeling • The ability to monitor pelagic Sargassum in Atlantic Ocean might serve as a predictor of climate change.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  GCFI Network [GCFINET@LISTSERV.GCFI.ORG]  Franck Maz é as (DEAL, Guadeloupe)  Hazel Oxenford (Univ. West Indies, Barbados)  Issac Croften (Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Grenada)  Mitch Roffer (Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc.)  Jeannette Mateo (CODOPESCA)  Rosemarie Kishore (Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad & Tobago)  Susan Singh-Renton (CRFM, St. Vincent & The Grenadines)  David Olsen (St. Thomas Fisherman ’ s Assoc.)  Capt. Anderson Kinch (Barbados)  Capt. Marcos Hanke (Puerto Rico)  Eugino Pinerio (Puerto Rico)  Fadilah Ali (Tobago)  Eli Fuller (Adventure Antigua)  Andrew Huckbody (Huckbody Environmental Ltd.)  Jacques Denis (Martinique)  Jim Gower (IOS, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)  Photos: R. Roach, Ouanalao Studios, K. Orchard, M. Freeling, O. Reynoso