There are concerns over several Spanish beaches after a fast-spreading algae has been found in various holiday hotspots. Originally native to the Pacific, invasive seaweed Rugulopterix okamurae has found its way into the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
The seaweed takes over the seabed until covering it entirely and, due to its high reproduction rate, it is constantly releasing plant remains that rise to the surface. The algae is then able to move to the coast by the currents, where it spreads over beaches and turns them brown.
First detected in the city of Ceuta in 2015, it has since proliferated along the Andalusian coast, the most affected area in Spain.
Other impacted locations include Murcia, Valencia and Tarifa, where local authorities have admitted they can’t afford to remove the algae from their beaches. There are now fears that Majorca could be next, following the discovery of traces in Barcelona’s port, reports Birmingham Live.
Fiona Tomas, a researcher at the IMEDEA Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies, warned in the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “We must act in time because we have the knowledge and we can carry out effective preventive management to avoid an invasion or, at least, minimise its impact.”
Maria Altamirano, a professor of botany and plant physiology at the University of Malaga, has highlighted the critical need to prevent seaweed from reaching the Balearic Islands. She warned: “Although it has not yet been detected, the Balearic Islands are a highly favourable area for it to proliferate. The authorities should look at minimising its spread.”
While Catalonia has been monitoring invasive algae for over two decades, the Balearic Islands have yet to implement such controls.