Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

#TheBahamas, March 17, 2023 – “If you don’t like it, go to another beach!” Is what Aaron John, an Education Officer from The Bahamas National Trust jokingly tells our news team about sargassum blooms; his quip, motivated by the necessity of nature when pit against the notion that there is a real threat when the stinky seaweed makes its annual appearance. 

John can admit, he says, that Sargassum isn’t very pretty but life isn’t all about aesthetics and in this instance that ugly patch serves a purpose. 

“We love our sandy beaches, but in order to keep them we need Sargassum. When storms come, they wash away all the sand off the beach but sargassum acts as a mulch to protect the sand from water erosion. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t feel good but we need it.”

He said it also provides a habitat for small crustaceans, crabs, and insects that are all necessary to our ecosystem and islanders have  found use for the weed.

“Historically, (in The Bahamas) we have been using sargassum as fertilizer, especially in the family Islands as far back as I know,” he said. “Birds don’t go on the beach unless there is Sargassum and what do they do? they feed – it’s beautiful.” 

He encouraged residents to just leave it be if they came across it.

Sargassum isn’t harmful to humans, except for people with respiratory issues who may find the rotten egg smell triggers asthma. Despite this, it’s not advisable to walk through the weeds which may hide sharp rocks and bottles or vulnerable animals.

Experts say Sargassum blooms began to increase in size around 2011 and have continued to get bigger and bigger since. This year‘s bloom is around 5000 miles long and 300 miles wide and visible from space.

“I know it’s not a general outlook, but I would like to change the perspective on sargassum,” John said, pointing out The Bahamas National Trust is actively working to decrease alarm over the less worrisome events like sargassum as it raises the profile on the environmentally devastating. 

Dana Malcolm  

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – The Turks and Caicos’ Bahamas Diaspora Office is moving closer and closer to opening day, following the Cabinet’s approval for the signing of a lease agreement.  

The lease will be signed with FINCEN ltd in the Bahamas.  Several weeks ago, Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration confirmed to our news team that the location had been found and was being finalized; now a lease is approved at the Cabinet level.  

The interest in the TCI from TC Bahamians was evident in the diaspora meetings held in early February.  The two meetings held in Nassau and Grand Bahama were completely full and over-subscribed by hundreds.  

It’s interest which the Government hopes will translate to real life population growth, bolstering the local population before the native population ‘goes extinct’.  

The Opposition PDM is on the record with what it feels is a far more viable solution to a dwindling native population; seek out the country’s own citizens and bring them back home. 

Cabinet did not state when the office will open. 

Dana Malcolm

Staff writer

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Four eyes have now had to be surgically removed and the number of people who suffered permanent vision loss is up to eight according to the latest update regarding the bacterial outbreak linked to artificial tears from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) .

The February recall of artificial tears distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma which is in effect for the Turks and Caicos as well, was prompted by the presence of an “extensively, drug-resistant strain” of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the eyedrops.

The situation has only gotten worse since then.  A March 14 updates from the CDC indicated that 68 patients across the US are now on record suffering from the bacterial infection. The death count remains at one.

TCI health authorities have indicated that residents who have the product present in their homes should call the Environmental Health Department for instructions regarding disposal.  Healthcare providers who have the products in stock should immediately stop giving it to residence and quarantine the product for pick up from the Environmental Health Department. 

The CDC says infection symptoms may include:

Yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye

Eye pain or discomfort

Redness of the eye or eyelid

Feeling of something in your eye (foreign body sensation)

Increased sensitivity to light

Blurry vision

If you are having any adverse reactions contact your doctor and report any side effects here.