Record Amount of Algae Threatens Economy, Wildlife on Caribbean Coasts
2022-08-10
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1Near-record amounts of algae, or water plants, are covering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados.
2The plants are killing fish and other wildlife, producing bad smells and gases, and hurting tourism.
3The University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab said nearly 22 million metric tons of brown algae called sargassum appeared in the Atlantic Ocean in June.
4That was 20 percent more than the record set in 2018.
5And unusually large amounts of sargassum have floated into the Caribbean Sea.
6The plants recently surrounded Pinel Island near the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin.
7The normally clear blue waters turned dark brown forcing officials to stop boat service and cancel fun activities on the water.
8Oswen Corbel is the owner of Caribbean Paddling.
9He said he had to close his St. Martin business on July 22 and does not expect to reopen until late October.
10He estimated he has lost at least $10,000.
11"Maybe I should give up. ... Sometimes I think I should go into the mountains and herd sheep, but this is what I know to do," he said.
12The United Nations' Caribbean Environment Program said some reasons for the overgrowth include a rise in water temperatures, chemical fertilizer and wastewater that feed the brown plants.
13Lisa Krimsky is with Florida Sea Grant, a program working to protect the coast.
14She said as algae break down, they change water temperatures and the acidity of the water.
15In turn, that hurts other living things such as seagrass and corals.
16The algae have hurt humans, too. The government of the French island of Guadeloupe issued a health alert in late July.
17It warned some communities about high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas escaping from the rotting algae.
18The gas, which smells like rotten eggs, can affect people with breathing problems.
19Last month, the U.S. Virgin Islands warned of unusually high amounts of sargassum getting into the machinery at a desalination plant near St. Croix.
20The plant is struggling to produce fresh water from seawater leading the U.S. government to declare an emergency due to water shortage.
21Small amounts of sargassum help clean water and take in carbon dioxide.
22It is an important part of the natural environment for fish, turtles, shrimp, crabs and other creatures.
23It is also used in fertilizer, food, biofuel, building materials and medicinal products.
24But it is bad for tourism and the environment when too much builds up near the coast or on beaches.
25On Union Island, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the algae invasion has recently forced some tourist areas to close for up to five months.
26Large masses of sargassum also have hurt the Caribbean's fishing industry.
27They damage boat engines and fishing equipment and prevent fishermen from reaching their vessels and fishing grounds.
28Fewer fish are caught. Barbados, where the beaches are covered with reddish-brown algae, has been hit especially hard.
29Too much sargassum was thought to cause the recent deaths of thousands of fish in the French Caribbean island of Martinique.
30Activists are now worried about how it affects endangered turtles.
31Some are dying at sea while struggling to move through the algae.
32Some are unable to lay their eggs over the algae-covered sand.
33Some island nations use heavy machinery to remove algae from the beach.
34But scientists warn that it causes erosion and may also destroy the nests of endangered turtles.
35I'm Anna Matteo.
1Near-record amounts of algae, or water plants, are covering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados. The plants are killing fish and other wildlife, producing bad smells and gases, and hurting tourism. 2The University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab said nearly 22 million metric tons of brown algae called sargassum appeared in the Atlantic Ocean in June. That was 20 percent more than the record set in 2018. And unusually large amounts of sargassum have floated into the Caribbean Sea. 3The plants recently surrounded Pinel Island near the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin. The normally clear blue waters turned dark brown forcing officials to stop boat service and cancel fun activities on the water. 4Oswen Corbel is the owner of Caribbean Paddling. He said he had to close his St. Martin business on July 22 and does not expect to reopen until late October. He estimated he has lost at least $10,000. "Maybe I should give up. ... Sometimes I think I should go into the mountains and herd sheep, but this is what I know to do," he said. 5The effects of overgrowth 6The United Nations' Caribbean Environment Program said some reasons for the overgrowth include a rise in water temperatures, chemical fertilizer and wastewater that feed the brown plants. 7Lisa Krimsky is with Florida Sea Grant, a program working to protect the coast. She said as algae break down, they change water temperatures and the acidity of the water. In turn, that hurts other living things such as seagrass and corals. 8The algae have hurt humans, too. The government of the French island of Guadeloupe issued a health alert in late July. It warned some communities about high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas escaping from the rotting algae. The gas, which smells like rotten eggs, can affect people with breathing problems. 9Last month, the U.S. Virgin Islands warned of unusually high amounts of sargassum getting into the machinery at a desalination plant near St. Croix. The plant is struggling to produce fresh water from seawater leading the U.S. government to declare an emergency due to water shortage. 10Benefits of sargassum 11Small amounts of sargassum help clean water and take in carbon dioxide. It is an important part of the natural environment for fish, turtles, shrimp, crabs and other creatures. It is also used in fertilizer, food, biofuel, building materials and medicinal products. 12But it is bad for tourism and the environment when too much builds up near the coast or on beaches. 13On Union Island, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the algae invasion has recently forced some tourist areas to close for up to five months. 14Large masses of sargassum also have hurt the Caribbean's fishing industry. They damage boat engines and fishing equipment and prevent fishermen from reaching their vessels and fishing grounds. Fewer fish are caught. Barbados, where the beaches are covered with reddish-brown algae, has been hit especially hard. 15Too much sargassum was thought to cause the recent deaths of thousands of fish in the French Caribbean island of Martinique. Activists are now worried about how it affects endangered turtles. Some are dying at sea while struggling to move through the algae. Some are unable to lay their eggs over the algae-covered sand. 16Some island nations use heavy machinery to remove algae from the beach. But scientists warn that it causes erosion and may also destroy the nests of endangered turtles. 17I'm Anna Matteo. 18Dánica Coto reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 19______________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21algae - n. a plant with no stem or leaves that grows in or near water 22tourism - n. the business of providing services for tourists, including organizing their travel, hotels, and entertainment 23herd - v. to move people or animals in a group 24fertilizer - n. a natural or chemical substance that you put on land in order to make plants grow well 25rot - v. decay or break down due to natural processes 26desalination - n. the process of removing salt from sea water 27erosion - n. the fact of soil, stone, etc. being gradually damaged and removed by the waves, rain, or wind 28_______________________________________________________________________ 29What do you think of the overgrowth of algae? Is there a similar problem where you live? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them.