By: Staff Writer
June 16, 2026
Antigua and Barbuda may soon receive Japanese technical assistance to develop a facility that processes sargassum seaweed into commercial products, following discussions held during Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith Jr.’s recent visit to Japan.
Details of the proposal were shared at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing by Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant, who said Japanese officials expressed a clear willingness to help the twin-island nation tackle one of its most persistent coastal challenges.
Merchant noted that while Antigua and Barbuda has already acquired equipment to harvest sargassum from its beaches, disposal remains the critical bottleneck. “The main challenge is the disposal of the sargassum,” he said. “Once the sun hits the sargassum, gases are emitted and there is that foul odor.”
Sargassum has been a growing plague in the Caribbean as beaches from Barbados to Cancun have been inundated with the brown seaweed.
Sargassum is a type of floating brown algae that provides food, protection, and habitat for many marine species. While Sargassum plays an important role in the health and biodiversity of open ocean ecosystems, it can also be harmful in certain situations when large masses are carried to shore by winds and currents.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages many fish species that depend upon floating rafts of Sargassum for food and shelter that are out at sea in U.S. waters.
NOAA and partners provide tracking and forecasting tools to let people know when and where Sargassum masses are likely to come ashore. Once Sargassum washes on land, NOAA experts provide support and scientific expertise to help affected communities. Ongoing NOAA research helps us better understand and manage the public health, social, and economic issues posed by Sargassum.
Parts of the South Florida coast are being inundated with a “tsunami” of sargassum seaweed that keeps relentlessly piling up, regardless of how much officials attempt to rake it away.
It represents more than just an eyesore: Locals say it leaves behind a powerful stench as the seaweed decomposes along beaches.
Experts say there could be plenty more to come, with potentially record-breaking levels of sargassum piling up this year.