Record Sargassum Season Hits Mexican Caribbean

QUINTANA ROO, Mexico — The 2025 sargassum seaweed arrival season in the Mexican Caribbean officially concluded on August 31, ending as the most intense season of the last four years. According to reports from the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), municipal administrations, the Secretariat of the Navy (Marina), and the company Red Recolector collectively removed 73,223.86 tons of the macroalgae, setting a record volume for the region.

The collected volume in 2025 far exceeds that of previous years. In 2022, a total of 65,646 tons of sargassum were collected in the Mexican Caribbean. The amount decreased to 51,309 tons in 2023 and dropped further to 40,992 tons in 2024.

From 2022 through August 15, 2025, the municipality with the highest sargassum collection is Playa del Carmen, followed by Benito Juárez, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, and again Puerto Morelos.

For the 2025 season, spanning January to August, municipal authorities collected over 50,879 tons of sargassum. The Secretariat of the Navy contributed an additional 12,845 tons to the total, while the company Red Recolector accumulated over 9,498 tons.

A municipal breakdown of the 2025 collection data shows Playa del Carmen removed over 28,605 tons of sargassum, accounting for 39.1 percent of the total accumulated in the Mexican Caribbean. The municipality of Benito Juárez collected over 12,889 tons, representing 17.6 percent of the final sum.

The municipality of Othón P. Blanco collected over 10,215 tons. Puerto Morelos collected nearly 10,000 tons, while Tulum collected over 7,212 tons. Isla Mujeres collected over 2,605 tons, Cozumel collected over 1,682 tons, and Lázaro Cárdenas accumulated nearly 96 tons of sargassum.

Monthly data reveals July as the peak month for sargassum collection, with a total of 18,476.55 tons removed. August saw 16,126.62 tons collected, followed by June with 15,803.36 tons. In May, 9,286.37 tons were collected; in April, 6,680.62 tons; and in March, 4,325.95 tons. The volumes for February and January were 1,392.74 tons and 1,131.63 tons, respectively.