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The problem of sargassum beachings is not new. Since 2011, brown seaweed has been a regular sight on the coasts of the Caribbean islands. And their intensity has been steadily increasing over the past few years. A quick dip into the archives of the Journal de Saint-Barth is all it takes.
Bruno Magras: "A slow asphyxiation".
In October 2018, the President of the Collectivité territoriale, Bruno Magras, took part in a regional seminar on sargassum in Martinique (JSB 1298). "In the medium and long term, if no viable solution is found, and the phenomenon continues or worse, worsens, our territories are quite simply threatened with slow economic, financial, environmental and health asphyxiation," he predicts. In Saint-Barth, the only strategy is to collect stranded seaweed. On this point, nothing has changed in 2025.
In 2017, the Collectivité had spent over a million euros on collection operations. The budget for 2024 was 1.7 million. This year, the five-day mobilization at the end of June alone cost the Collectivité more than 1.1 million.
In 2018, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) were commissioned to carry out a study on sargassum. At the same time, a "sargasso plan" was launched by Emmanuel Macron and Nicolas Hulot, the French Minister for Ecological Transition.
A floating boom? Yes, but no
Locally, in December 2018, the Collectivité announced that a floating boom would be tested at Marigot. A device that won't even be the subject of a trial. Several specialist companies are being consulted. From the use of linear booms to the use of a Sargator (a boat that collects seaweed at sea), everything is envisaged. However," notes Sophie Durand-Olivaud, Technical Services Manager, "the boom is not enough on its own. In general, 20% of the sargassum passes through in calm water, so we might need a boat to collect the seaweed behind it. "Currents also pose a problem, as do storage capacities on land. Even back then, requesting evacuation barges was no mean feat. Be that as it may, in the face of uncertainties about the effectiveness of alternative solutions, it's collection after beaching that continues.
In 2022, the French Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Council (CESCE) published a study in which it recommended organizing collection prior to grounding. This could be achieved by setting up booms close to the coast to divert the trajectory of the Sargasso slicks. However, this method does not exclude the collection of seaweed.
From "reflections" to steering committees
Since 2022, when President Xavier Lédée took office, the situation has hardly changed. Meetings, decrees banning swimming in bays invaded by sargassum (always the same ones: Marigot, Petit and Grand-Cul-de-Sac, Anse des Cayes...), studies underway or in the pipeline on solutions to stem the problem but, for the time being, only collection is favored.
In February 2023, the steering committee (Copil) for the fight against sargassum will be organized under the chairmanship of the French Ministry for Overseas France. A 26-measure national plan "to better understand, prevent and combat this phenomenon" was added to the sargassum control committee set up in September 2022 in Saint-Barthélemy. Marie-Angèle Aubin, the Collectivité's vice-president in charge of environmental affairs (and president of the Agence territoriale de l'environnement) represents Saint-Barth in Paris at the Copil.
Last May, Saint-Barthélemy hosted the second "Zero Waste in the Caribbean" seminar. Needless to say, the issue of sargassum was raised. And there was plenty of food for thought.
In July 2022, as every year at the same time, shoals of sargassum came ashore in various parts of the island. In an online publication dated July 20, 2022, President Xavier Lédée wrote: "We are continuing to work on tomorrow's options, in particular through the Maîtrise du développement et modernisation du territoire commission."Four days later, on July 24, the President of the Collectivité added, again via an online publication: "We are in contact with scientists who have worked extensively on the subject, as well as associations. We are working on local storage options. We are in contact with the ministries to see how we can work together and also support those who have been economically impacted by the situation. "
Material" for 2026?
In a new online publication dated July 21, 2025, Xavier Lédée writes: "The massive strandings observed in recent days, particularly at Anse des Cayes, have necessitated an immediate reinforcement of clean-up resources. As part of the sargassum emergency plan, a review has also been launched and a range of equipment will be ordered in the next few days. "Although the nature of this equipment is not specified, the mayor assures us: "I am aware that the results are not yet sufficient, and I understand the impatience of the population most affected, as the situation remains so difficult in certain areas, notably Anse des Cayes and Marigot. The teams on the ground are fully mobilized. "For collection. A tradition from now on.
