Since the beginning of the phenomenon at the end of April, 2 tonnes of sargassum have been collected by the company mandated by the Collectivity. This is already twice the average annual volume collected in Saint-Martin. 300 is already considered a record year.
Cul de Sac, Orient Bay, Mont Vernon, the Galion and Oyster Pond are the main grounding sites for brown algae in the French part of the island. They are picked up either by hand or with machines on the ground. Collecting them in the water at the entrance to Cul de Sac Bay, the main place of stranding, is impossible due to a too low draft, authorities say.
"Collecting them daily is the only effective way," notes Philippe Gustin, prefect of Guadeloupe who came to observe the work of the teams on Saturday morning at Cul de Sac.
Machines collect the algae in the water (2/3 meters from the edge) and deposit them on the beach where they are put by another excavator in a bucket to be directly taken to the eco-site in Grandes Cayes where they are dried and processed. In the most delicate places from an ecological point of view, the green brigades will intervene. This is particularly the case on Galion Beach.
(More details on www.soualigapost.com)
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