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Grand Fond, Toiny, Cul-de-Sac, Lorient, Saint-Jean, Grands Galets, Gouverneur, Anse des Cayes… The list of beaches where sargassum has been washing ashore for several weeks now is long. Few sites in Saint Barthélemy have been spared from the arrival of these dreaded brown mats. “The invasion is coming from the northeast,” notes Météo France in its Sargassum wash-up forecast bulletin dated April 2. “Arrivals will occur on both islands, but especially on Saint Barthélemy, along the coastline exposed to the southeast current,” it states. “The rafts are definitely present.” To the east of the islands, the open sea is filled with rafts that will fuel further strandings in the coming days. The Atlantic remains heavily laden with Sargassum. An increase in strandings is expected in the coming weeks.” The trend, therefore, at the start of April, is not toward a lull.
As the invasive seaweed begins to return, the chairman of the environmental commission within the Territorial Collectivity, Rudi Laplace, is working tirelessly to ensure the island receives protection. “We’re trying to make progress on several fronts,” explains the territorial councilor for the Saint-Barth d’Abord group. “We’ve selected the firm Egis (Egis Water and Maritime, based in Montpellier, ed.) to assist us with the studies and procurement process for the breakwaters. This gives us a comprehensive long-term vision. The goal is to work on the Marigot test dam but also on protecting the entire northern coast of the island, from Petit-Cul to Petite Anse. This isn’t a project that will be completed in a year. It’s something that will take at least two to two and a half years before we can, with a bit of luck, successfully protect the northern section.” The Territorial Collectivity plans to invest 7.5 million euros in a system of anti-sargassum dams. A budget of 2.25 million has been allocated in the 2026 budget.
Private initiatives
For now, the goal is therefore to deploy an initial barrier to protect Marigot Bay. Why this “spot”? Because the Territorial Collectivity, explains Rudi Laplace, has reliable data on ocean currents in this area. But the elected official warns: “It’s not enough just to have barriers. We also need companies to be there to maintain the barriers and collect the sargassum—at least the part that gets trapped on the barrier. One way or another, there should be boats or marine equipment to manage the sargassum that accumulates. The solution may be to push it back, but also to collect it if we have no other choice.”
Furthermore, private initiatives have already been launched. Notably by hoteliers who do not want to relive the invasion of June 2025 and the financial losses that accompanied it. Rudi Laplace confirms that “meetings have been initiated” with local residents, in which the Collectivité has participated. “Using private funding makes things simpler,” the territorial councilor points out. “We approve the purchase and the order; it can be done in a week. With public procurement, it’s different.”
In the meantime, the sargassum is reappearing on the beaches, its stringy strands spreading across the sand. Unconcerned with the worries of residents or tourism professionals.
