Seaweed blooms a concern for Pacific Islanders [1]
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 22:00. Updated on Friday, April 11, 2014 - 23:26.
Over-abundant seaweed at Nasese, Suva.
The recurrence of abundant “seaweed blooms” are a growing concern on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji as beaches become increasingly affected with the algae. A Pacific-wide discussion by internet forum is underway this month, January 2013, to find out how far this problem extends across Pacific communities to help determine if it is caused by climate change.
Local Fiji communities affected by the influx of seaweed and its foul rotten-egg odour have approached the Pacific Centre for Environmental and Sustainable Development to help solve the problem.
The Pacific-wide discussion about the issue is being prompted by Marine and Ecology expert at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, Dr Antoine De Ramon N'Yeurt.
Dr N'Yeurt says the excess of seaweed on shorelines is bad for the environment and destructive to marine ecology.
“This is causing environmental issues as it smothers traditional fishing grounds and reduces the productivity of the reef flats by taking nutrients and oxygen out of the water, and also displaces the normal seaweed assemblages that grow there.
“We suspect the sudden bloom of this normally discrete seaweed over the last few years is caused by recent changes in the environment, like the rise in seawater temperatures due to climate change, poor water circulation in the lagoons, and an increase in man-made nutrients and pollution.”
He said the blooms almost exclusively consist of a fast-growing local species of red seaweed (Gracilaria edulis). When dislodged by rough weather it washed up in great quantities onto the shoreline.
Dr N'Yeurt is using the knowledge-sharing internet forum Pacific Solution Exchange to attract discussion and is interested in hearing from people in the Pacific and internationally, about whether the seaweed bloom is occurring elsewhere and possible solutions to the problem.
The discussion about seaweed and climate change continues until 30 January, with people invited to join the PSE community if they want to become part of the conversation.