Swimming restrictions
- Thread starter andynap
- Start date
JEK
Senior Insider
ORDER ON THE TEMPORARY BAN OF SWIMMING AND NAUTICAL AC TIVITIES IN THE BAYS OF MARIGOT, GRAND CUL DE SAC, PETIT CUL DE SAC AND ANSE DES CAYES
From Monday July 25, 2022 until the situation returns to normal, swimming and all water activities are prohibited in the bays of Marigot, Grand-Cul de Sac, Petit-Cul de Sac and Anse des Cayes.
COMMUNITY INFORMATION Sargassum
We are facing a massive stranding of Sargassum on our coasts, which far from being trivial, is akin to a real natural disaster. The quantity has not been estimated as a whole, but we are already seeing the damage caused by the accumulation of these algae on the beaches of the island.
Since Thursday, and only for Grand Cul, 180 tons of sargassum were collected.
The loss for the fauna (lobsters, fish, echinoderms, crustaceans, molluscs, turtles) is considerable. Corals and seagrass beds are also affected by the phenomenon. The fishermen who had lobster pots in the lagoon lost everything. The Collectivity mobilizes and implements all the means at her disposal for massage and cleaning. Crews are working slowly daily to try to mitigate the effects. The Collectivity is also studying the possibility of diverting these algae and all other available and effective solutions, in collaboration with the State. Discussions are currently underway with national ministerial services.
The Collectivité of Saint-Barthélemy would like to thank all the associations and volunteers who take part in cleaning the coasts and who do an exceptional job, as well as the ATE, the companies, the technical services, in core present in the field.
Strandings at this level of importance can certainly only have a negative impact on human beings and the marine environment. The danger is real.
The Collectivity points out that it is essential to be equipped to carry out collection operations and strongly advises the population not to bathe or to go to the impacted sites.
From Monday July 25, 2022 until the situation returns to normal, swimming and all water activities are prohibited in the bays of Marigot, Grand-Cul de Sac, Petit-Cul de Sac and Anse des Cayes.
COMMUNITY INFORMATION Sargassum
We are facing a massive stranding of Sargassum on our coasts, which far from being trivial, is akin to a real natural disaster. The quantity has not been estimated as a whole, but we are already seeing the damage caused by the accumulation of these algae on the beaches of the island.
Since Thursday, and only for Grand Cul, 180 tons of sargassum were collected.
The loss for the fauna (lobsters, fish, echinoderms, crustaceans, molluscs, turtles) is considerable. Corals and seagrass beds are also affected by the phenomenon. The fishermen who had lobster pots in the lagoon lost everything. The Collectivity mobilizes and implements all the means at her disposal for massage and cleaning. Crews are working slowly daily to try to mitigate the effects. The Collectivity is also studying the possibility of diverting these algae and all other available and effective solutions, in collaboration with the State. Discussions are currently underway with national ministerial services.
The Collectivité of Saint-Barthélemy would like to thank all the associations and volunteers who take part in cleaning the coasts and who do an exceptional job, as well as the ATE, the companies, the technical services, in core present in the field.
Strandings at this level of importance can certainly only have a negative impact on human beings and the marine environment. The danger is real.
The Collectivity points out that it is essential to be equipped to carry out collection operations and strongly advises the population not to bathe or to go to the impacted sites.
cassidain
Senior Insider
it’s probably just me, but I find qualifying this as a “natural disaster” is a bit frothed up. an inconvenience. expensive to deal with. possibly a sign of short-sighted agricultural practices. possibly other things. but, a “real natural disaster” not for me.
words mean things, and governments should be careful how they wield them. Imho.
nat·u·ral dis·as·ter
noun
- a natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life.
"the number of people suffering food crises as a result of natural disasters has tripled in the last thirty years"
It's not just you. I was thinking the same thing. Its a real issue but to call this a natural disaster is a bit much and, in the end, may end up taking away from the cause.
elgreaux
Senior Insider
interesting this is seemingly not related to that... this is a new wave of sargasso coming from Brazil it seems... not from the Sargasso Sea...
from this article:
You might think that Sargassum comes from the Sargasso Sea, but this is not the case this time. In fact, according to a study conducted by the CNES in 2018, significant aerial and satellite resources were deployed to study the hypotheses on the origin of these algae that wash up on Martinique's beaches.Some scientists have studied the path of sargassum through satellites and have shown that they would come from the north of the mouth of the Amazon, off Brazil, it seems that banks of sargassum are also formed from West Africa, at the mouth of the Congo and are brought by the current on the Caribbean coast.You must be wondering, what does this have to do with the Amazon? It turns out that the Amazon has been undergoing deforestation in recent years, especially 2015, giving way to farmers who use fertilizers and pour into the water.Scientists add yet another hypothesis on where the sargassum comes from, it would be because of ocean warming.
Aipotu
SBH Insider
Can't something be a natural disaster and a man-made disaster at the same time? Mean, there are a lot of other things we consider "natural disasters" that clearly are consequences of bad decisions made by humans, including, paradoxically increased flooding and droughts.
cassidain
Senior Insider
best to take that subject up in EE
