USF-led study reveals dramatic decline in some historic sargassum populations

Even as record sargassum reaches Caribbean and Gulf shores, the Sargasso Sea — once a stable stronghold — has seen a sharp drop in healthy mats since 2015. Because sargassum mats support turtles, fish, seabirds and other marine life, a long-term drop in healthy sargassum could reshape food webs and alter the ecological balance across the broader Atlantic region.