[Coral-List] Sargassum

[Paul Hearty]

Like oceanic seabirds nesting on remote islands, this human recycling of
nutrients makes such good sense!


On Fri, Jul 2, 2021 at 8:57 PM Austin Bowden-Kerby via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Dear Melissa,
>
> I had our local *Sargassum polycystum* analyzed here in Fiji a few years
> back and it was 8% potassium wet weight, and also very good source of N and
> P, as well as packed with trace nutrients like boron, copper and iron, etc
> that are otherwise hard to come by.  It makes an ideal organic fertilizer
> and is of high value.  While it is not often so badly out of control here,
> as unicorn and orange tailed surgeonfish love to eat it, it does wash up in
> smaller drifts seasonally. I find it best to harvest it fresh before it
> begins to fall apart, and to rinse it off with fresh water, before throwing
> it immediately into bananas, around coconut trees, and onto cassava and
> sweet potato plantations etc, where it does an amazing job at providing
> time-released nutrients.  Try it!
>
> We are teaching local farmers, who can often not afford commercial
> fertilizers anyway, to take advantage of what nature provides and as a way
> of cleaning the beaches, as rotting sargassum seems to be ideal habitat for
> breeding sandflies.
>
> Stay safe, as the delta COVID variant is an entirely different kettle of
> fish.  Fiji was COVID free for a full year, but this variant managed to
> jump out of quarantine and past two layers of partially vaccinated
> quarantine staff, and we now have a raging epidemic.  >400 new cases per
> day and no commercial flights in or out of the country.  I have a team of 5
> volunteers stuck now on a remote island site for the past ten weeks, with
> no end in sight!
> Austin
>
> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> Corals for Conservation
> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods for the Future
> P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands
> https://www.corals4conservation.org
> https://www.facebook.com/C4Conservation
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009j6wb
> <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009j6wb>
> TEDx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PRLJ8zDm0U
>
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/
> <
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/
> >
>
>
> Teitei Livelihoods Centre
> Km 20 Sigatoka Valley Road, Fiji Islands
> (679) 938-6437
> http:/www.
> <
> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-environmental-livelihoods-farm-Fiji
> >
> teiteifiji.org
>
> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-environmental-livelihoods-farm-Fiji
> https://www.facebook.com/teiteifarmstay
>
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/happy-chickens-for-food-security-and-environment-1/
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 2, 2021 at 8:52 PM MelissaE Keyes via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > Hello, Listers
> > Sorry I didn’t provide a hot link yesterday.  But going to YouTube and
> > searching sargassum st Croix, I found several videos.  It’s two meters
> deep
> > on a lot of beaches.  Same sort of videos from Cancun and Yucatán, except
> > deeper.
> > No mention in any news that I’ve seen.  Doesn’t seem to be any way to
> > fight the stuff, getting to be more and more every year
> > Cheers
> > Melissa E Keyes.
> >
> >
> > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
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-- 
Dr. Paul J. Hearty  (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Hearty &
Google Scholar).  Adjunct Prof., Geol. Sci., Jackson School, U TX Austin

*Veritas temporis filia*