Mexican navy warns of record sargassum season in Quintana Roo

The Mexican Caribbean could face its most severe sargassum season on record, with the country’s Navy warning that the amount of seaweed along the Quintana Roo coast in March and April could exceed historical averages by more than 75 per cent.

The warning stems from a drifting mass of roughly 280,000 tonnes of brown macroalgae currently moving westward across the Central Western Atlantic, reports Mexico News Daily.

If currents and winds remain steady, a large portion may wash up on beaches between Cancun and Tulum, reports say.

In response, the navy has launched what it calls a record-scale containment effort: 16 surface ships, one oceangoing vessel, 11 coastal boats, four collection units, and 9,500 meters of offshore barriers are already in place.

Officials plan to add an additional 6,000 meters in collaboration with the Quintana Roo government.

Easter week is especially important for tourism in the Mexican Caribbean, and this summer the region’s beaches will face unprecedented attention as the FIFA World Cup attracts international visitors and media coverage.

Sargassum typically reaches Mexico’s eastern beaches from April through November.

Playa del Carmen deploys five kilometre barrier

Ahead of the spring sargassum season, Playa del Carmen is installing its longest-ever anti-sargassum barrier: a five-kilometer stretch running offshore from Playa Fundadores in the city centre northward to Playa Esmeralda, Mexico News Daily reports.

This doubles the length of the previous 2.5-kilometer barrier that protected the same coastline. The initiative is a collaboration between the municipality and Semar.

The expanded barrier is expected to cover nearly all 21 of the city’s public beach access points.

Coastal hotels continue to maintain their own private barriers, and authorities are working to better coordinate these with the municipal system, reports say.

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