Boat operators and fishermen in Lagos State have lamented their losses due to the invasion of seaweed on the waterways in the state.
Members of the Association of Tourists Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) and fishermen at Tarzan in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State lamented how the seaweed affected their businesses and livelihood without any compensation from the government.
According to the victims who spoke with NatureNews, the seaweeds grow underwater during the rainy season and begin to fall off and float on the water surface during dry season and most times, they overtake the lagoon and become a challenge.
A boat driver and member of ATBOWATON, Femi Juwon, explained how the seaweed poses serious threats to the propellers, impellers and gearboxes of their boats.
“When seaweeds are much on the surface of the water, there is no how we can avoid them, and we have to work to feed our families. So we drive on them and sometimes it knocks out engines.
“What we do to prevent our engines from knocking sometimes, is to stop and clear the impeller of the entangled plant so that it can function normally again, if not, it will spoil the engine.
“One problem we have with that method is that passengers always worry and complain when the boat stops. We have to keep assuring them everything will be alright.” He said.
Juwon explained that sailing skilfully to avoid the seaweed invasion was very difficult and slow which made them incur more cost and longer travel time.
Apart from the threat to the engines, the fishermen also lamented that the seaweeds entangled their nets and mad fishing very difficult and impossible sometimes.
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A fisherman, Seyi Funsho, explains that the seaweed invasion had become a discouragement from fishing because one of two things happened – either the act was unsuccessful or they lose their nets due to entanglement damage by the plant.
He continued, “This is what we have been facing since. When the seaweed season is around, we hardly go out fishing. We don’t usually catch any fish when we throw our nets because the seaweeds and plants entangle them. So it will also not allow the fishes to enter the nets. It is a very sad period for us; we hope the government can help find a way to clear the waterways during the invasion.”
Seaweed is the common name for countless species of marine plants and algae that grow in the ocean as well as in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. Some seaweed is microscopic and lives suspended in the water column and provide the base for most marine food chains. Some are enormous, like the giant kelp that grow in abundant “forests” and tower like underwater redwoods from their roots at the bottom of the sea. Most are medium-sized, come in colours of red, green, brown, and black, and randomly wash up on beaches and shorelines just about everywhere.
According to Juwon, the only way the stubborn plants leave the waterways is when they’re crushed by boat propellers or when salt water (sea water) from the Atlantic Ocean starts flowing into the lagoon (fresh water).
The Lagos State government has, however, sponsored a research on harnessing seaweeds (Sargassum) for entrepreneurship development in coastal fishing communities in the state.
This was announced recently by a former Director, Centre of Excellence for Sargassum Research, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Martin Anetekhai, who said that efforts were ongoing to convert seaweed into products that would create jobs and incomes for the youth.
According to him, the project is meant to strengthen capacity and research on sargassum monitoring, reporting, management, value assessment and re-use.
He said the state government approved the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Sargassum Research (CESAR) located in the Lagos State University, Ojo, to champion the research, stressing that the project is being sponsored by the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).
He said the research would look into the management and utilisation of sargassum for the empowerment of fishing communities in Nigeria and other countries where it had hitherto been perceived as a nuisance.
According to him, the process of harnessing sargassum for entrepreneurship in coastal communities is presently ongoing and two researchers, of Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, led by a PhD student of Project Management, Blessing Nwatulegwu, have won a five million naira N5,000,000 research grant by LASRIC for its research proposal on “The Development and Production of Bio-Plastic from Sargassum Seaweed towards Circular Economy in Nigeria.”
