Saving Seafood

  • Home
  • News
    • Alerts
    • Conservation & Environment
    • Council Actions
    • Economic Impact
    • Enforcement
    • International & Trade
    • Law
    • Management & Regulation
    • Regulations
    • Nutrition
    • Opinion
    • Other News
    • Safety
    • Science
    • State and Local
  • News by Region
    • New England
    • Mid-Atlantic
    • South Atlantic
    • Gulf of Mexico
    • Pacific
    • North Pacific
    • Western Pacific
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Fishing Terms Glossary

Life in the North Atlantic depends on this floating seaweed

May 15, 2019 โ€” โ€˜THEREโ€™S NOTHING LIKE it in any other ocean,โ€™ says marine biologist Brian Lapointe. โ€˜Thereโ€™s nowhere else on our blue planet that supports such diversity in the middle of the oceanโ€”and itโ€™s because of the weed.โ€™

Lapointe is talking about a floating seaweed known as sargassum in a region of the Atlantic called the Sargasso Sea. The boundaries of this sea are vague, defined not by landmasses but by five major currents that swirl in a clockwise embrace around Bermuda. Far from any mainland, its waters are nutrient poor and therefore exceptionally clear and stunningly blue.

The Sargasso Sea, part of the vast whirlpool known as the North Atlantic gyre, often has been described as an oceanic desertโ€”and it would appear to be, if it werenโ€™t for the floating mats of sargassum.

The seaweed may seem unremarkable at first glanceโ€”just bunches of drifting plant matterโ€”but as Lapointe has helped illuminate through his work, sargassum is the basis of a complex ecosystem that nurtures a stunning array of marine life. It serves as a mobile shelter and a movable feast.

For 36 years Lapointe, a biologist with Florida Atlantic Universityโ€™s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, has combed the Sargasso Sea, observing sargassum by satellite and experiencing it firsthand in scuba gear. He wanted to figure out where the weed comes from, how it moves, what it sustains, and what sustains itโ€”and to unravel the complex relationship sargassum has with other forms of marine life, from seahorses to great white sharks. Only by learning about this vital resource, he says, can we protect it from potential threats, such as ocean acidification and pollution.

Read the full story at National Geographic

Recent Headlines

  • Are Gulf sharks really an โ€˜overwhelming problemโ€™? Itโ€™s complicated, experts say
  • US judge blocks commercial fishing in Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument
  • Judge blocks Trump bid to allow fishing at marine monument
  • New Chesapeake striped bass fishery plan sparks debate
  • RHODE ISLAND: Federal officials look to stop illegal fishing fleets near RI coast
  • NOAA Fisheries increases Gulf red grouper catch limit by 50 percent
  • NEW JERSEY: Belford Seafood Co-Op President Says Why He Joined Lawsuit Against Empire Wind Farm
  • Seafood inflation at US retail increased again in July; consumers continue turning toward value

Most Popular Topics

Alaska Aquaculture ASMFC Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission BOEM California China Climate change Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump groundfish Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Hawaii Illegal fishing IUU fishing Lobster Maine Massachusetts Mid-Atlantic National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NEFMC New Bedford New England New England Fishery Management Council New Jersey New York NMFS NOAA NOAA Fisheries North Atlantic right whales North Carolina North Pacific offshore energy Offshore wind Pacific right whales Salmon South Atlantic Western Pacific Whales wind energy Wind Farms

Daily Updates & Alerts

Enter your email address to receive daily updates and alerts:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Tweets by @savingseafood

Copyright ยฉ 2025 Saving Seafood ยท WordPress Web Design by Jessee Productions

Notifications