"The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has partnered with a multidisciplinary team from the Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies, Mona, to conduct research on the seaweed, sargassum.

The research will look at several usefulness of the seaweed, including its use as a fertiliser and how bioactive compounds and other valuable substances can be extracted from it, as well as sargassum’s potential use in the generation of energy in biodigesters.

In other parts of the Caribbean, sargassum is used as animal feed, food for humans, in cosmetics, the manufacture of take-away containers for food and bricks for construction.

The announcement of the study comes as mats of the brown seaweed are expected to inundate several beaches across the island in the upcoming months.

Jamaica, similar to several Caribbean islands, has been affected by the seaweed and continues to experience a high level of build-up. The floating mats have been spotted offshore Jamaica, with some beaches across the island, particularly in Portland and St Catherine, already being heavily impacted."

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