Martinique

Martinique is a French overseas region and an island located between the Dominican Republic and Saint Lucia. Like most Caribbean territories, the Atlantic and North Atlantic coast of the island is regularly confronted with massive Sargassum events, especially since 2011- the year the groundings became more important. The Prefecture coordinates various services set up by the State, from seaweed monitoring to storage. The DEAL (Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing) manages satellite image monitoring of algae slicks to be able to predict Sargassum strandings. The Regional Health Agency works in collaboration with Madininair on a network to monitor hydrogen sulfide and ammonia concentrations in urbanized areas that are impacted by groundings. This network makes it possible to inform in real time about gasses concentration and alert authorities of dangerously high levels, in order to act for concerned populations. The collection of algae falls within the competence of mayors of affected municipalities, who can count on technical, financial and even human assistance in their mission, which can be provided by communities of municipalities, the general council, the Region and ADEME. Storage is also the responsibility of municipalities. Today, 99% of the seaweed collected is stored on backshore sites. Several private companies offer valorization solutions in the area. In August 2022, during an extraordinary committee about the national plan to combat Sargassum set up by the French government, the Minister in charge of Overseas France announced the creation of an anti-Sargassum public service. The Territorial Collectivity of Martinique (CTM) has opted for a Public Group of Interest (GIP) which will rely for its operational part on a trade union cooperation structure or on the group of affected communities.