Sargassum Crisis Killing Fish and Livelihoods

The sargassum crisis in Belize is getting worse and fast. Every day, tons of the smelly seaweed wash ashore, and coastal communities are struggling to keep up. For months, residents and local leaders have been working nonstop to clean it up, but it just keeps coming back. Now, it’s a threat to marine life. On Thursday, more than fifty dead fish were found tangled in the sargassum in San Pedro. That shocking discovery has fishermen worried about the future of our seas and the livelihoods that depend on them. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

If you’ve been to San Pedro lately, you know there’s no escaping the sargassum, it’s everywhere. It’s clogging up the beaches, stinking up the island, and turning paradise into a mess. On Thursday, over fifty fish were found washed ashore, lifeless among the seaweed. And according to longtime resident Elito Arceo, that’s just a glimpse of the damage being done beneath the surface.

 

Elito Arceo, Ambergris Caye Resident

“Let’s say if you walk to a particular dock, you will see fifty around that dock. Now, if you walk the whole beach, you just imagine how much you will actually see, right? And when Mr. Sanchez sells you by the channels, of course, because the channels values have currents. So that’s where most of it is being diverted to, right? So when you see the more sargassum is gone through the channels, and of course where you see the, hundreds of birds eat  everything that is dying. But of course the babies are dying right now. So what would be left for tomorrow or day after or next couple years.”

 

Sargassum has also negatively impacted Belize’s fishing community, who claim that fish are now fleeing the area. Rogel Sanchez, a local fisherman and tour guide, explains that since the sargassum has started piling in, it’s become increasingly more difficult to attract fish to the area.

 

Rogel Sanchez, Fisherman

“You could see the fish is not around to the reef or the channels, and the lobsters is already moved from the areas. They go more to the deeps and then it’s affecting a lot of folks like all fishermen already, because we have the youth that they’re diving very deep for  hunting lobster, or spear fishing as well, especially in the reef, you could see the corals is dying. Especially the corals is already it affecting us because we don’t have no marine, fishes around.”

 

The island has been doing its best to counter the influx of sargassum with daily cleanups. However, many businesses have had to hire extra staff for the job, which seemingly never ends.

 

Elito Arceo

“There’s several hotels or private homes have their own workers dealing with this. And basically just every day, there have been small groups, usually family or friends that get together and go and help out, clean up a particular area. We’re actually doing one of those tomorrow. We’re going to go join forces with the town council and these are all volunteers to go help clean up. But if you clean whatever you clean an hour or so time back again.”

 

Sanchez also works as a local tour guide, but his business has been suffering due to the sargassum. Not only are tourists bothered by the look and smell of the plant, but many activities they book the tours for are hindered by the plant.

 

Rogel Sanchez

“Sometimes we have to go far. Sometimes from the island go way to Rocky Point to get some sardines and that took like almost for an hour to get to our sardines or we have to go to the west of the island too, and sometimes we do not get. The tourists get sometimes mad with us because, they are counting the time where they’re paying the time for doing fishing, so it is affecting a lot of us.”

 

The residents are frustrated and are unsure when the constant cleanups will finally come to an end, but they are not giving up.

 

Elito Arceo

“I’m sure that with some days you throw up your hands like, oh my God, I just cleaned this and it’s  two times worse. But the people here are very resilient. So like tomorrow we have a cleanup and from all walks of life you go. And you go to a store, say, you know what I wanna buy a pitchfork, I have to go clean the beach. Oh no, you gwen clean beach? No man, it’s free, take it. Everybody wants to help. And that is the Belizean spirit.”

As the cleanup continue, residents are hoping that a resolution can made soon so they can finally breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to the return of the beautiful beaches Belize is known for. Britney Gordon for News Five.