Thousands of tons of invasive seaweed ‘overwhelming’ Spanish beaches

Alga from east Asia is major threat to biodiversity, say experts as they warn of environmental catastrophe

Thousands of tonnes of an aggressive invasive seaweed from east Asia are piling up on the beaches of the strait of Gibraltar and Spain's southern coast in what local environmentalists say is a major threat to the region's biodiversity.

Since May, the local authority in Cadiz has removed 1,200 tonnes of the alga Rugulopteryx okamurae from La Caleta, the city's most popular beach, including 78 tonnes in a single day.