The video shows the algae washing ashore and covering a large area of the beach and was published today, 25 September.

Photo taken from Facebook Reels: Maria Fernanda Freire

Recently there have been scenes of Asian alga (Rugulopteryx okamurae) washing up on various beaches of the Algarve.

Due to the increase in occurrences of algae on beaches, which already occurred in 2021 and 2022, the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) of the University of Algarve (UAlg), two years ago created a platform to collect data on the algae found on Algarve beaches and understand which invasive species lead to large accumulations on the beaches.

Researchers know that Rugulopteryx okamurae first appeared in the south of France, where there is oyster aquaculture, and then spread to Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

However, there are other algae that accumulate on the beaches of the central Algarve, between Albufeira and Faro, such as the invasive red algae Asparagopsis armata, native to the waters of Australia and New Zealand, which was responsible for the accumulations recorded in 2021 and in 2022.