Environment

Virgin Islands to Expect Another Year of Heavy Sargassum in 2026, DPNR Warns

Virgin Islands residents and coastal businesses are being advised to prepare for what officials expect will be another year of heavy sargassum accumulation along local shorelines, following new scientific assessments indicating elevated levels across the Caribbean and Atlantic heading into 2026. In a public advisory issued Friday, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, through the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, warned that Virgin Islands beaches are likely to experience significantly higher-than-normal amounts of sargassum this year. The forecast is based on recent findings from the University of South Florida College of Marine Science’s Optical Oceanography Lab, developed in collaboration with DPNR’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the University of South Florida, regional partners, and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms Research Program. According to a bulletin released January 5, satel...