Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
Sargassum In The Caribbean: Challenges And Opportunity For Blue Growth Based On The Circular Economy Approach
Mario Ayalon3*, Milton Haughton2, Rosie Paterson-Lima1, Bruce Searle1,
Terrell Thompson3, Maren Headley2, Christian Genova, Abby Albright, Jaqui Day1
Plant and Food Research1, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism2,
and Research-Engineer contractor3
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Since 2011, the mass of Sargassum in the Caribbean has increased dramatically and resulting in more than three times the normal amount of this seaweed in the region. In 2022, the mass of Sargassum in the region had a record of around twenty-two million tons in July and a similar figure is expected in 2023. Sargassum has a role in the marine ecosystem by providing fish nurseries, shelter for sea turtles and absorption of carbon dioxide. However, large volumes of this seaweed have a negative impact on the tourism sector, fishing industries, coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems, and the health of coastal residents. In 2020 the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded a three-year collaborative project, which is being implemented by Plant & Food Research (PFR) of New Zealand and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), to address Sargassum seaweed influxes in affected Caribbean countries. The project has four activity areas: raw material safety testing and harvesting operations review, product and process development, product commercialization strategy development and outreach and supply chain development. The raw material safety testing was done using Sargassum collected in Belize, Barbados, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic. The results confirmed the findings of previous studies that Sargassum has elevated levels of Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead, with concentrations above the maximum allowable limits for human food and animal feed. For the second activity, the project team reviewed twenty-three potential products derived from Sargassum to identify the most suitable for product development and commercialization within the context of the Caribbean environment. Based on the results of the raw material safety testing; the technologies required for harvesting, product development and production; market competition; and regulatory standards in respect of the end-products, the project team selected three products: liquid fertilizer, compost and building materials. The selection of the three products was guided by the circular economy principle of minimum waste generation, mitigation of heavy metal content in accordance with international regulations, and contribution to blue growth in the Caribbean region. Laboratory trials to produce liquid fertilizer and compost started in May 2023. The results obtained will define the operational conditions for production at pilot plant scale of the prototype products and value chains in 2024.
HOW TO CITE: Ayalon M., M. Haughton, R. Paterson-Lima, B. Searle, T. Thompson, M. Headley, C. Genova, A. Albright, and J. Day, 2026. Sargassum in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunity for Blue Growth Based on the Circular Economy Approach. Contribution 7.3, p517-526 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume I: Technical Papers. Presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=944
POWERPOINT
VIDEO PRESENTATION
FULL SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION
Download CRFM Special Publication No. 37:
Proceedings of the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference
KEY LINKS
Scientific Conference Home Page
Scientific Conference Proceedings Page
Explore all 20th Anniversary Scientific Papers
NOTE
If you have challenges accessing or downloading documents in this series, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , copied to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call us at +501-223-4443. Some browsers do not properly load Google Drive documents, so if you have challenges accessing the PowerPoint slides or the full special publication, try switching to another browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
