OECO PRESS RELEASE

Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, the persistent influx of Sargassum seaweed has long posed a critical challenge to coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies. However, lessons learned from a comprehensive study tour of Martinique and Guadeloupe are now guiding a transformed, solutions-focused response among the member states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

With support from the European Union’s 11th EDF RIGHT program and the SARSEA project, a delegation of technical experts and policymakers representing nine OECS member states undertook a strategic mission (June 1–5) to examine advanced models of management and value creation. By observing operations in France’s outermost regions in the Caribbean, this initiative aimed to link technical innovation with regional policies, thereby transforming a shared environmental threat into an essential pillar of the Caribbean blue economy.

Emphasizing this shared regional challenge and the power of collaborative solutions, Susana Agüero, Program Manager at the European Union Delegation in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS, and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, emphasized the importance of this partnership:

«Martinique is one of the French regions that is tackling exactly the same issues affecting the economies, public health, and tourism throughout the Caribbean and among OECS member states. We are learning directly from their experience. They have established an integrated network combining several approaches, ranging from manual collection to specialized marine barriers and offshore collection. Furthermore, ongoing developments in storage and processing will soon make it possible to convert sargassum into valuable commercial products, while simultaneously protecting vulnerable sectors and the health of communities.»

The urgency of implementing these proven solutions is evident throughout the region, where decomposing seaweed on shorelines—such as in the fishing village of Soubise in Grenada—releases toxic gases and disrupts daily life. Beyond the immediate coastal disruptions, decomposing Sargassum degrades essential mangroves and coral reefs, accelerates coastal erosion, and severely impacts small-scale fishermen by damaging their equipment and restricting access to fishing grounds. Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires the coordinated, inter-institutional approach demonstrated during this mission.

One of the OECO’s major objectives is value creation—that is, the conversion of raw sargassum into commercially viable resources. At the Holdex site in Le François, Martinique, participants observed working models of composting and bioenergy production, demonstrating how processed sargassum can improve agricultural yields by up to 14 % or provide cost-effective biogas to meet energy needs.

Referring to these operational lessons during a roundtable discussion with local authorities in Marie-Galante, Natasha Deterville-Moise, acting head of the OECO’s Economic Development Unit, noted:

«The operational data collected will directly guide the development of robust regional mitigation and adaptation plans. By encouraging active collaboration between public and private stakeholders, the OECS Commission is positioning the proven solutions from the French territories as a practical framework for building a more resilient and sustainable Eastern Caribbean.»

Throughout the tour, the delegates examined each stage of the sargassum management cycle:

• Offshore Interception and Coastal Protection: Analysis of protective barriers and specialized barges in Martinique, designed to capture algae before it reaches vulnerable coastlines.
• Environmentally Friendly Collection: Tour of the Macabou and Pointe Faula sites. Dr. Hardin Jn. Pierre, representing the Ministry of Agriculture of Saint Lucia, emphasized that observing the manual collection process was particularly instructive, as it highlighted methods that avoid the use of heavy machinery, which compacts beach sand and disrupts critical sea turtle nesting habitats.
• Air Quality and Public Health Monitoring: Partnership with Madininair in Martinique and Gwad’air in Guadeloupe to review the surveillance and early warning systems that provide health alerts based on reliable data to coastal communities.
• Frontline Safety Protocols: Miklembly Bridgeman, of Grenada’s Ministry of Tourism, highlighted the value of personal gas detectors used during field operations, noting that implementing similar safety protocols within the OECS will be essential to protecting response teams.

By translating these field-tested practices, institutional frameworks, and public-private partnerships into concrete regional policies, the OECS Commission continues to advance a sustainable and climate-resilient future for coastal communities in the Eastern Caribbean.