Clinging fauna associated with nearshore pelagic sargassum rafts in the Eastern Caribbean: Implications for coastal in-water harvesting.

Tropical Atlantic blooms of pelagic Sargassum species are associated with severe inundation events along the coasts of Caribbean and West African nations that cause extensive ecological and socioeconomic harm. The use of in-water harvesting as a management strategy avoids the plethora of challenges associated with shoreline inundations. Moreover, with a growing interest in the valorisation of this raw material, in-water harvesting provides the best opportunity to collect substantial amounts of 'fresh' sargassum that can be used in a variety of applications.