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Befouling of Beaches

Last activity 08 August 2018 by Mrjfortin

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dukie1

I was wondering how the seaweed invasion has been going this summer in the northern Yucatan.  I'm also moving there in December.  The oil rigs & large ports in the area have me concerned.  Does their polution reach the beach ?

CaribeGal

I am curious about this as well.  Any feedback, Yucatan beach dwellers/visitors?

Mrjfortin

I am a live-aboard sailor. Been sailing the Caribbeans for the last 14 years. and The weed situation is getting worse every year due to global warming. There is no denying it, the weather is changing, and causes the algae invasion every spring. The main culprit is Sargassum it lives on the bottom of the ocean near corals. At a certain temperature it is released and floats away. The one ending at the western part of the Caribbeans comes mainly from the Hispaniola area. The more the temperature rises in the water, the more it gets released. There is no changing that. What can be changed is that this stuff is rich in nutrients like plankton, iron and such. It can be used to feed certain stocks, fertilizer for crops ans so on. If some one can figure out a way to make money with it, then the problem could be solved. There are certain machinery designed to collect algae very efficiently. So I think it is just a question of time before the problem is solved. Now for the oil drills, so far I have not seen any issues. But an other ocean ranger incident, or an Exxon Valdez incident would change that scenario. Lets hope it never happens.   Sorry the first explanation was so long, but if you are in Mexico on retirement, then you have all the time you need :)

dukie1

Well, I don't get down there till early December, am still working 1 day a wk. but the rest of my time is spent trying to disencumber myself of all my stuff.
Maybe we should start a Sargassum Consortium.

Thanx for your knowledgeable reply.

By the way, a friend told me its quite stinky so you really can't get away from it. True?

Dukie.

Mrjfortin

Stinky ? it depends on your point of view. It smells like algae. While still in the water, it is not so bad. It is part of the ecosystem attribute. But once outside the water yes it can have a strong smell as it decompose. But like I said, it makes an awesome fertilizer. Keep in mind that as a farmer, manure was the smell of future crop and money. It is all about how you look at it . LOL

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