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

Unprecented Influx Of Pelagic Sargassum Along

Caribbean Island Coastlines During 2011

Center for Fisheries Research & Development Gulf Coast Research Laboratory The University of Southern Mississippi

1Naval Research Laboratory

Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

2 2 Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organizations, Antigua

and Barbuda 64th GCFI, Puerto Morelos, Mexico November 2011

James Franks, Donald Johnson, 1Dong-Shan Ko, Guillermo Sanchez, Read Hendon and 2Mitchell Lay

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 natans Sargassum fluitans

Dynamic ecosystem Essential Fish Habitat Diverse assemblage of marine life

BARBADOS

Crane Beach

Photo credit: Hazel Oxenford

GRENADA

Photo credit: Richard Roach

GUADELOUPE

Porte d’Enfer – Anse-Bertrand

All photos by Franck Mazéas, Responsable Unite biodiversité marine AMP / IFRECOR, Basse Terre

Porte de Désirade

Eastern Shore Mamora Bay

Eli Fuller – Adventure Antigua Photo credit: Max Freeling; Bugpilot

ANTIGUA

• ST. MARTIN, Grandaes Cayes
• ST. KITTS, North Frigate Bay

Photo credit: Ouanalao Studios

Photo credit

• ST. BARTS

Dominican Republic

Playa de Juancho Playa Bavaro

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

“Why 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

• f Sargassum through archived currents; predict drift pathways to region

May – August 2011

Sierra Leone: August 2011 500 km coastline affected by Sargassum

Per: Andrew Huckbody; Huckbody Environmental Ltd.

Google Earth

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 Mazéas (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