The increased presence of seaweed in local waters in recent times is causing significant wear and tear on the boat engines of fisherfolk of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

This is according to Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar who was at the time responding to a question from MP for the Southern Grenadines, Terrance Ollivierre, on what measures the Government had taken to mitigate the effects of the influx of seaweed.

Minister Caesar said the Government is aware of the issue of the increased numbers of seaweed and its impact on not only tourism but the fisheries sector; going on to discuss some of the measures that have been taken to lessen that impact.

He listed measures such as the activation of seaweed invasion taskforce to advise on the management of seaweed. According to the Minister, the taskforce consists of representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Transport & Works, Health and the National Rivers, Beaches and Parks Authority.

He also made mention of the National Action Plan for the Influx of Sargassum seaweed in SVG which was created in 2015 and outlined the early responses, which included an outreach program and sensitization.

Caesar said that the private sector was approached to assist in this endeavour as the Government would be unable to hire workers to clean seaweed on a daily basis, and then used the opportunity call on the private sector once more for assistance, emphasizing the need for this partnership.

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