Experts working to protect the Sargasso Sea

It’s just seaweed, right?

But the distinctive golden Sargassum that floats freely in Bermuda’s waters, could hold critical clues to the future health of our oceans.

It was interesting enough to draw Time magazine to our shores earlier this month. And it is important enough to be a focal point of an ambitious project to create one of the largest protected areas of ocean on the planet.

Protected zone

Bermuda is the only landmass in the Sargasso Sea — a vast shoreless tract of ocean bounded by powerful currents on either side.

Scientists and policymakers here are working with overseas experts to turn the entire area into a protected zone.

The effort will focus on the chunks of seaweed that are the centre of activity for all life in this oceanic wilderness

The Saragassum acts as a floating nursery for a variety of invertebrates and tiny fish, many smaller than a human fingernail.

Like the forest canopies that help sustain a rich abundance of life in tropical rainforests, they affect what happens at every level of the oceanic foodchain.

In the Time Magazine article, published today, world famous oceanographer Sylvia Earle describes Sargassum as “the island in the stream” — a source of sustenance and protection for all life in the Sargasso Sea.

“It is a habitat for so many species,” explained Chris Flook, collector at the Bermuda Aquarium.

“By protecting it, we’re protecting a large number of species in one foul swoop — invertebrates that live in it, birds that rest on it and feed from it, juvenile turtles that use it as cover from predators. It is important even to species like dolphin and wahoo that feed on the fish within it.”

Dr. Fred Ming, Bermuda’s director of Environmental Protection, said it was also a critical habitat for many varieties of eel.

Climate change

Many of the details of the project are still to be determined. But Dr. Phillipe Rouja, acting director of Conservation Services in Bermuda, says it could also play an important role in the fight against global climate change.

“With the potential for what is coming in terms of environmental change, we need to keep the healthiest systems in our ocean as healthy as possible,” he added.

Understanding the effects of environmental change in the Sargasso Sea could fuel future policy on global warming.

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences has already uncovered evidence of increasing ‘acidification’. And Dr. Tony Knap, director of BIOS, said the sea could act as a ‘canary in the coalmine’ for ocean health worldwide.

“The fact that humans could have some discernible effect on the chemistry of the ocean is mind boggling,” he added.

Dr. Rouja believes that protecting the Sargasso Sea could prove to be a valuable first step towards providing better management and conservation of large expanses of ocean. He said the pressure was on to prove that it could be done, describing this project as a ‘litmus test’ for the viability of such large scale marine conservation efforts.

Environment Minister Glenn Blakeney added that the precarious nature of the project meant that details had been kept heavily under wraps, until now.

“This is an ambitious project and we didn’t want to announce it with fanfare only to stumble at the first hurdle.”

He said the project, which involves the Foreign Commonwealth office, Bermuda Government and a host of overseas agencies, was now gathering momentum.

And he insisted the publicity in Time Magazine would be great for Bermuda.

“Potentially tens of millions of people around the world will this week read about Bermuda and the environmental research and stewardship for which we are becoming recognized as world leaders.”

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown said the article would bring global attention to Bermuda.

He added: “We often say that there are two pillars to our economy — tourism and International business but those pillars are underpinned by the high quality of Bermuda’s environment.”