Sea lettuce surge coming under control, says operation manager

Sea lettuce surge coming under control, says operation manager

Martin Gautier, contract project manager for the Growth, Housing and Environment Department, made the comments as new efforts to tackle the problem got under way.

In recent weeks, workers have been using heavy machinery to scoop up the seaweed and load it into dumper trucks which are then driven to the Jersey Rowing Club slipway at the Harbour to be loaded onto a former military landing craft. The vessel takes the weed to a designated dumping ground four miles out to sea.

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Previously, the boat, the Normandy Trader, was driven into St Aubin’s Bay and beached before being loaded. However, with material now being deposited at the Harbour, significantly more sea lettuce can be removed, with operations taking place at almost any stage of the tide.

Although no invoices have yet been received, it is thought that the operation is likely to cost between £4,000 and £5,000 each day.

Mr Gautier said: ‘It has worked very well for us – much better than we originally thought it would. It allows us to work on the beach on a much wider tidal range and it also enables us to work much more efficiently – allowing us to take out more loads to sea per day than we did before.

‘By Wednesday afternoon, we cannot claim all the credit for it because of the large tides, but it did look pretty good.’

Mr Gautier also responded to suggestions that the material would move back into the bay on incoming tides, saying that flows moved east or west rather than north or south.

And he added that a separate trial – using machinery to pick up sand and stone-free sea lettuce from the waterline, to be composted or spread on fields – was also working well.

‘We have also been very happy with the Surf Rake trial to collect sea lettuce to be composted at La Collette. We can only take about 80 tonnes a week as we have to get the ratio right with the other material there. If we just used sea lettuce it would turn into this horrible smelly gloop.

‘We have also been spreading it in some fields – about 100 tonnes went out on Wednesday – but because you are essentially putting the nitrates on the beach back into the land, you have to calculate how much you can use. It is essentially equivalent to using fertiliser.

‘Also, because sea lettuce contains salt water, you cannot use it on all fields – it is only those which are likely to not be used for a while.’

Andy Hougardy, proprietor of Fort View Café, said that although the sea lettuce was still present in the bay, the situation had improved.

‘It stretches from Nude Food halfway down the beach towards town. It has definitely improved, it’s much better, but how much of an effect the huge tides have had and how much of an effect the work has had – I do not know,’ he said.

‘It is certainly not as bad as it was.’

Clearance activities

14 August: 240 tonnes dumped at sea – 110 tonnes spread in fields

15 August: 240 tonnes dumped at sea

17 August: Normandy Trader committed elsewhere.

18 August: 130 tonnes spread in fields

19 August: Weather conditions cancel Normandy Trader operations

20 August: Normandy Trader operations restart [total dumping tonnage not yet known]

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