Month: March 2021

“It is surprising how little is known about the compounds that are available within Sargassum biomass. We are still working to see how to valorise this biomass to create benefits for the Caribbean and West Africa. Over the next two years, we need to better understand whether these Sargassum blooms are going to continue –…

“Sargassum is really affecting livelihoods of poorer communities along the coast of Ghana. When there is an abundance of Sargasum, fishers have been prevented from fishing, or have found that they only bring back seaweed, not fish. This creates a really hard time for fishers who have no other livelihood options. In the next couple…

“yet there is a huge knowledge gap around the magnitude, and impacts of sargassum on coastal West Africa. Over the next two years we will be looking at how sargassum is affecting the livelihoods of the poorest coastal communities and how sargassum affects the artisanal fishing industry. I am also keen to develop partnerships to…

“There is a lot of work using satellite imagery to monitor Sargassum. We are exploring opportunities from using a variety of different algorithms to better track Sargassum. I am really excited about developing a Sargassum early warning system for Jamaica, which we will co-develop with affected communities. We will use information from satellites and combine…

“I am most interested in the SARTRAC theme of transformational adaptation; using sargassum, that is currently viewed as a threat to livelihoods, to generate benefits for the poor, in developing countries in the Caribbean and West Africa. This makes me particularly excited as I am from the Caribbean myself. I am excited about our planned…