How Tourism in the Caribbean has been affeced by Algal Bloom

 The Caribbean Tourism industry is a booming and very profit able profitable market within the  Caribbean. according to the Caribbean Tourism and Development :An overview report the total global tourism flow arrivals to the Caribbean region in 2003 was around 17.1 million. While Hugh Cresser & Associate in their Partnership Strategies  to increase profitability report state that visitors to the Caribbean spent a total of $27.5 billion in 2012  which was and a 3.6 percent increase from the previous year 2011.

In order to try to preserve thee lucrative Caribbean tourism industry Mexican authorities  will spend $9.1 million to hire 4,600 workers to clean up seaweed in the current crisis that the Caribbean  is under going with the  sargassum "stinking seaweed" algal bloom  through the Caribbean waters.
 This crisis has said to be affecting over 15 Caribbean nations and many of the  tourism authorities fear that this would affect their the number of visitors to the area  in  the long term. This indeed seems to be the case as visitors are complaining about the foul smelling  seaweed and the biting flies they attract. according to the Guardian's There has been many reports from many hotel resorts etc across the Caribbean, of reservation being canceled as a result of the seaweed's appearance.

with the appearance of it people in the effort of the clean up process have be encourage  to find some economic use of the seaweed. for example

• using the seaweed as food, many restaurants have played with the idea of making the seaweed into a Caribbean delicacy as seaweed has been part of the  Irish, Scottish and Asian diets for generations   

Photo from: http://www.green-parrot.co.uk/seaweed-cooking/

• some people inn the agricultural industry have been urged and encourage to use the  seaweed as land fertilizer as their ability to concentrate minerals and trace elements form the sea render them a potent source of nutrients for crop cultivation

Photo show Seaweed mulch from:http://learn.eartheasy.com/2010/09/how-to-use-seaweed-to-mulch-your-garden/

• The creative people working for the tourism industry have also found ways of incorporating seaweed into the many of our cultural arts and crafts making it an excellent form of creating interesting souvenirs 

Photo of seaweed and coral art from:http://www.dominica-island.info/coral-reef-and-seaweed-craft/

• There has also been interests in trying to make a type of Bio-fuel from the seaweed as they are rich in many nutrients and minerals

Photo of seaweed being harvested from http://innovatedevelopment.org/2014/04/13/seaweed-biofuel-promotes-island-self-sustainability

Photo of Algal Bio-fuel produced form: http://innovatedevelopment.org/2014/04/13/seaweed-biofuel-promotes-island-self-sustainability

How we can benefit by keeping Algal Bloom under control

 when we can maintain our control over  Algal bloom we are able to maintain:

• Our healthy Coral Reefs and in keeping our coral Reef s alive and healthy we can reduce the amount of wave action eroding our coastal land/ ecosystems

Photo from http://www.vliz.be/projects/marineworldheritage/Features/feature4a.php?item=The%20Indian%20Ocean

• we are able to maintain our diversity and heathly  populations of fish that swim in our waters

• controlling the amounts of algal bloom that occurs helps us maintain all the natural fresh drinking water that we may need in the future 

Photo from : http://www.denimhunt.com/denimhunt/2008/11/nobody-wa-s-thi.html

• With algal bloom under control we are able to maintain these water bodies for recreational purposes as when this process has started the waters can be come smelly and unappealing 

  

  Photo from: http://daltonsbananaguesthouse.com/ourservices/watersports/

• The increase of algal bloom in high level tourism areas or "tourist trap" can ruin the tourism value or the area. who want to go on a vacation to beaches with  murky waters?

photo from :http://www.bohemiantrails.com/lapping-in-luxury-in-punta-cana/

• The use of places where algal bloom has occurred can lead to health implications as some algae releases harmful toxins and encourage bacterial growth

Photo from:http://www.lifetime-weightloss.com/blog/2011/4/8/adrenal-fatigue-part-1-health-implications.html

Domestic causes of Algal Bloom

Eutrophication  being the the overpopulation of the spike of algal growth in aquatic environments is not only caused due to agricultural run off. Since this algal bloom is due to an increase in the availability  of nutrients in the the aquatic environment  which encourages growth in the algae populations. That being said although improper agricultural practices are major causes for these algal bloom spike domestic "everyday" lifestyles can contribute to this issue. These causes are as follows:

• letting laundry water enter water bodies regularly- This issue being more on a rise in rural areas, many of these people settling in these areas often was their clothing in rivers ,streams or have there pipe running the waste water from their houses into or near these water bodies and once entering the water stream the nutrients in the detergent/ waste water ( phosphorous and nitrogen) provide the means for eutophication

Photo from: http://www.photoree.com/photos/permalink/10056787-clarita

• Improper disposal of of food products- There are many times that people dispose of food product by throwing them into gutters,off bridges and at the sides of the road under the guise that these produces are biodegradable and that never guess for a moment that may may be harming their environment. however should these waste produces enter the water bodies the extra nutrient that may have be just introduce can cause eutrophication.

Photo from : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2412451/Dont-Brits-drop-rubbish-Council-puts-anti-littering-signs-THREE-foreign-languages-English.html

• Improper disposal and treatment of sewage- This point being relatively self explanatory,refersnto if the sewage waste products is not treated effectively before it is introduced to the  environment it simply means that it will contaminate these water bodies making eutrophication quite rampant in these aquatic environments. 

Photo from:http://xingyunatecology.blogspot.com/

 Techniques to pervert Eutrophication 

 The main causes  of most of the algal bloom peaks are greatly attributed by the poor agricultural techniques used. Due to these poor practices he nutrient enrich run off can enter water bodies an encourage algal bloom peaks.This issue places a great impact on communities' fishing, tourism and water sources where contamination is imminent.  some techniques to minimize  the amount of run off:

• Terracing, a well known  agricultural technique can be used, where the sloping lands are cut in sequence into flat platforms where they would now plant crops on. This reduces the runoff from irrigation as water is not given as much energy flow faster on flat land than on slopes making it easy to reduce the amount of runoff.

• Contour farming like terracing minimizes the amoun to runoff on a slope, this is done by rather than attempting to growing crops up the slope crops are grown with the contour or across a perpendicular plane.
  

• The reduction in the amount or rather keeping to recommended dosages of fertilizer can help stop the amount of nutrient in the runoff where the soils are not over saturated with these nutrients hence making it easy to wash away large amounts of nutrients in the runoff.      

• The use of Crop Rotation where different types of crops are planted on the same plot of land is beneficial to the soil this way the soil remains strong and fertile as different nutrtients in is is used and replaced making it less susceptible to runoff and erosion. 

• In agriculture the management og livestok is key therefore whem leaving livestock to graze on lands it is key not to allow them to overgraze. this is because overgrazing increases soil erosion as the soil becomes more exposed to the elements. Along with the obvious erosion of the soil all the added nutrients that these animals would have added to the soil with their "natural fertilizer" would be easily washed away as the now exposed soil is now susceptible to any water action that may affect the soil.  

Photo from: 

http://managingwholes.com/village/vmen.htm 

http://mail.inspirationgreen.com/terraced-farms.html?start=60

http://followgreenliving.com/profitable-practice-crop-rotation/

"Stinking Seaweed" Coastal Algal Bloom Impact on Tourism

Photo:Reuter  Stinking mats of seaweed piling up on Caribbean beaches | Stuff.co.nz

The effects of Algal bloom has been felt recently even more than before, especially when  we talk about the tourism industry. As late as August 2015, and since then  many Caribbean beaches have been  affected negatively causing many tourist to cancel their vacations. Unfortunately the "Stinking Seaweed" as many of the locals refer to it as or Sargassum,apart from being unsightly  also attracts  biting sand fleas that are know to cause red sores. This biological event has been termed as a natural disaster by the local authorities all over the Caribbean.Not only affecting the tourism industry directly through the tourist comfort when visiting the beach resorts being affected but also by affecting another supporting industry being fishing. This biological event has without a doubt thrown marine environment in chaos making it difficult to support the normal fishing loads of many of the beach resorts that depend on this source of food to provide for  guests. Researchers have been led to believe  that the increasing levels of such as pollutants and fertilizers are the cause of this algal bloom problem. So is the Sargassum to blame for this crisis or are we? This problem must be taken seriously or the picturesque Caribbean vistas  will be transformed into sewage filled cesspits.

Hi, I'm Jairoy Fergus a first year  student of the University of the West Indies,St Augustine, pursuing a degree in the area of environmental Science and Sustainable Technology.I have chosen this degree because I have a passion for building up and developing our community while preserving our ever so unique and beautiful environment. As a swimmer and occasional "Beach bum"it  is easy to see my slight obsession with trying my best to keep algal bloom to a minimum. Thus this blog is to help spread awareness of what simple careless acts may have helped in making or even accelerating the "blooming" process. So let's be responsible and keep our environment healthy!!