Thierry Lebrun, a 69-year-old doctor in the town of Robert, Martinique, is showing the damage caused by toxic gases from decomposing brown algae known as sargasses. These algae have affected his villa's plumbing, appliances, and even his car, and Lebrun says the situation has turned his community from a paradise into a kind of hell. He and others suffer symptoms like headaches, eye irritation, and runny noses. Lebrun co-founded the Martinique Sargasses Association in 2023 to help residents affected by the algae. He says the problem has gotten worse since 2018, and despite efforts by local and national authorities, the issue continues to grow. Félix Mérine, the mayor of Robert, a town with 21,500 residents, says the people of his commune are exhausted from dealing with the sargasses. Protests have taken place in the Pontaléry neighborhood in January and July. The city has spent over 4 million euros on managing the algae over ten years, with 90% of that cost covered by the state. However, the town is still in debt. To combat the problem, the city uses six municipal workers and a mechanical shovel to remove up to 5 tons of algae each day. Mérine admits that the city is often forced to improvise because of the ongoing challenges. The Public Interest Group (GIP) Martinique Sargasses, established in 2023, coordinates efforts to manage the algae strandings. The state covers 80% of the GIP’s budget, while the Martinique Territorial Collectivity and three urban communities contribute the remaining 20%. For 2026, the GIP has a budget of 4.9 million euros, including 2.3 million for removing algae from the sea and 1 million for building floating dams to stop the algae before they reach the shore. However, these floating structures have had problems, such as breaking under strong waves or getting clogged with algae, as seen in Robert in mid-August. Lilia Leconte, the sargasses mission officer at the Martinique Marine Natural Park, says that the algae strandings used to occur mainly between February and October but now happen all year. Changes in ocean currents, likely caused by rising sea temperatures, are pushing the algae onto new, previously unaffected coasts. Between March 1st and September 20th, the GIP collected 13,100 tons of algae from the sea, compared to 7,000 tons in 2025. However, storage sites are running out of space, as efforts to use the algae for products like fertilizers or bioethanol have been delayed. In Robert, the Pontaléry site is expected to overflow soon, and the mayor says Martinique lacks enough unused land to handle the growing amount of algae.