The fight against Asian algae in Benalmádena: more machinery and a full-time worker to remove 1,500 tonnes per year

There are few people who have not come across Asian seaweed at some point on the province’s beaches. It's rare for a day to pass without some part of the Costa del Sol waking up to find this invasive species has taken hold.

No municipality is spared and therefore this is one of the problems that causes a headache for town halls, because the seaweed arrives daily, but the beaches have to look clean from first thing in the morning when the bathing season arrives.

In the specific case of Benalmádena, the beaches department has been taking stock of the presence of Asian seaweed on the coastal strip of the municipality for years.

They began to detect its presence "sporadically" in 2020 and 2021. In 2023, the species was already "entrenched" and in 2024, it had an "almost continuous" presence.

Throughout 2024, according to the records of the town hall, 1,500 tonnes were removed. The figure is striking in itself, but it is even more so when compared to what was collected a year earlier, when 218.4 tonnes of algae had to be cleaned up. This gives an indication of the level at which the presence of this invasive species is growing, as everything suggests that 2025 will close with higher figures than those of 2024.

"In view of this data and the unstoppable increase in algae, which overwhelmed the means available to the beach cleaning services, at the end of last year it became necessary to process an extension of the current contract, which culminated in February this year with the signing of the amended contract. Among other things, it incorporates new human and material resources to support the fight against invasive algae," explained beaches councillor Presi Aguilera.

In this way, among the new material resources added to the service are a backhoe loader, a trailer for removal, a loader coupling unit for the tractor and a sand leveller for restoring the beach after algae removal. In terms of human resources, a full-time driver-machine operator has been added to the team year-round.

An item has also been included for the removal of seaweed and all this has meant an increase in costs for the beach service of around 248,000 euros per year.

It should be noted that invasive Asian seaweed is not dangerous for people and that bathing is completely safe with its presence. However, in large quantities it can become annoying, mainly because of its bad smell.

It is a different matter when it comes to the richness of the seabed, as it has been proven that this invasive species damages other valuable plant species such as Posidonia oceanica (Neptune grass). It also has a very negative impact on fishing, starting with the time fishermen have to spend cleaning the nets, and the fact that the algae drags the nets down from their natural position.

In addition, the algae suffocates shellfish and drives other species away.

At the moment, scientists' forecasts for the future of this species are mixed. Some point to a stabilisation or even a decline in its presence on the western Costa and an increasing presence on the beaches of Malaga.