Seaweed invades beaches in Central, Western regions
Fishermen in various fishing communities and beachfront hospitality operators in the Western and Central regions have appealed to the government and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help curb the pollution of the beaches by seaweed.
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The perennial pollution of the coast by the seaweed sargassum has become very serious this year, as residents, revelers and fisherfolks can barely carry out any activity on the shores.
The weed, which is said to have originated from the North Atlantic waters, is carried to the west coast of Africa by the winds and high tidal waves. Currently, the beautiful beaches of the two regions have been dented and the fishermen mostly return to the shore with their nets having the weed in them.
Affected districts
The weed has spread from New Town in the Jomoro District through to Ellembelle, Nzema East, Ahanta West, Sekondi/Takoradi and Shama and has stretched further to the Central and Greater Accra regions and Aflao in the Volta Region.
The most affected are the canoe fishermen. They lamented that the situation was causing them serious social and financial problems, and called on the government to intervene to protect their business and the coast, especially during the fishing season.
When the Daily Graphic visited some of the coastal communities, including Axim, and Miemia, Adjua, Sekondi/Takoradi and Shama, most part of the beaches were seen overgrown with the seaweed.
The severest hit are four districts in the Western Region — Ahanta West, Nzema East, Ellembelle and Jomoro. Officials of the EPA and the Fisheries Department in the region said the problem had come to their notice and they had started researching into it.
However, they called on district assemblies to help clean the beaches as more of the substance had been washed ashore.
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Benefits of sargassum weed
The sargassum weed, however, acts as a mobile transport habitat for a great variety of marine life and as refuge for young fishes that may lack mobility.
When young fishes find a safe haven in the sargassum weed, they for the are far more protected from the ocean’s predators, thus making it possible for them to survive.
Many species of marine life take refuge in the sargassum weed and travel thousands of miles on this floating habitat, seeking protection and survival on the course.
Once the sargassum weed finds its way to a shoreline, it can be culled and used as nutrient-rich fertilizer and compost for land-dwelling organisms as well.
The sargassum weed gravitates towards milder, more temperate and tropical oceans and, further towards shallow bodies of water such as coral reefs.