Seen as a blight on shorelines and considered a nuisance by fishermen, the sargassum seaweed is now being used to fertilize the mined-out lands of nickel miner Cagdianao Mining Corporation (CMC) here. Locally known as “samo”, these dense floating clusters of brown seaweeds would tangle on nets and boat propellers of local fishermen. Piles of sargassum would also cover beaches, making regular cleanup necessary to prevent them from overwhelming coastal ecosystems, according to CMC.

Fights vs. sargassum debris. (2020, August 13). SunStar Davao, p. 5.