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Published On: Mon, May 7th, 2018

Sargasso is back with a vengeance

Sargasso at Orient Beach - 20180506 HH

MARIGOT – The French state has made available €3 million ($3.57 million at the current rate of exchange) for the removal of Sargasso from beaches on French territories in the Caribbean, including Saint Martin. During the past weekend huge amounts of the brown seaweed landed on especially Orient Beach and in Cul-de-Sac.

Residents in Cul-de-Sac are once again experiencing the effects of hydrogen sulfide on the air as a result of decomposing Sargasso. A bit further down, huge amounts of Sargasso have turned the eastern part of Orient Beach into a smelly place where no tourist wants to go.

“We don’t need this. Up until recent we have been spared but the predictions are comparable with the situation in 2015, but worse,” Daniel Gibbs, president of the Collectivité said at a press conference where the Préfète Déléguée Anne Laubiès was also present.

The Préfète announced that France has made €3 million available to Antilles-Guyane to combat the problem. Sargosso has invaded the coastlines of islands like Martinique and Guadeloupe and the seaweed has now reached the shores of Saint Martin as well.

At Orient Beach, the Sargasso lands mostly at the eastern end. At the opposite end, direction of the heavily damaged Club Orient, the beach is still reasonable clean and it is also possible to swim there.

Aerial surveillance with drones will be deployed to predict when Sargasso will reach the coastline and in which quantities. The website of the prefecture and social media contain up to date information about the Sargasso-invasion.

The ARS – the French regional health authority – has taken Sargasso-samples to measure the emission of hydrogen sulfide in the air. This is measured in part per million (ppm). According to Pascal Godefroy, director of the territorial delegation of the ARS, these emission levels have never reached into the danger zone in Saint martin.

When emission-levels reach 5 ppm, access to the Sargasso is restricted to professionals equipped with hydrogen sulfide measuring devices. According to Godefroy emission levels in Cul-de-Sac are generally below 1 ppm and at Lucas Bay they are even below detection levels.

Even so, residents could experience the smell of rotten eggs, respiratory problems and headaches. The hydrogen sulfide could also damage appliances.

While there are systems on the market to collect Sargasso at sea before it reaches the coastline, the government in Saint Martin has opted for harvesting the seaweed on shore. Removing the seaweed from the sea is considered too costly while these methods still have to prove themselves.

Collecting seaweed from the coastline involves logistical issues like drying and storing the material.

In September 2015, the Collectivité established a Green Brigade, consisting of twenty youngsters who manually cleaned the Sargasso from the most affected locations. The seaweed was taken to the eco-site in Cul-de-Sac to dry before it was mixed with other plant material and turned into compost.

Recent research has however established that the Sargasso contains heavy metals.

The Collectivité has reactivated the Green Brigade; the youngsters will clean up beaches in Cul-de-Sac, Orient Bay, Oyster Pond and Le Galion.

President Gibbs said that his government has already invested €45,000 in these projects.

Photo caption: Sargasso is piling up at the eastern end of Orient Beach. Photo Hilbert Haar.