Sargassum has had negative economic consequences for the industry through the altered composition and availability of fish populations, the disruption of fishing activity and through damaging fishing vessels and gear.

Quantity of catch has been impacted tremendously by the sargassum influxes. In the case of Barbados, the two main fish species, flying fish and dolphinfish as well as wahoo, have been affected both in quantity and in fish size landed.

According to Professor Hazel Oxenford and Dr Shelly-Ann Cox, the official landings records from the Barbados Fishery Division reveal significant decreases in the average annual fish landings before the first sargassum influx of 2011, compared with the post-influx fish landings, with declines of 56 per cent for flying fish, 42 per cent for dolphinfish and 50 per cent for wahoo.