Lobster Catch Struggles in María Elena Due to Sargassum

Felipe Carrillo Puerto — Five months after the start of the lobster fishing season on María Elena Island, fishermen are slowly recovering from the impacts of sargassum.

Pablo Catzin Pech, Secretary of the Cozumel cooperative in the María Elena settlement, indicated that they have not managed to boost the catch of the crustacean, and with two months left until the season ends, the outlook appears difficult.

“We remain the same, this downturn is due to the same reasons: the water is murky and now there is rainwater. The sargassum no longer washes ashore as before, but we are keeping up with the catch; it does not rebound, and there is also a lot of small lobster that does not reach commercial size. We have to select, and little is available for commercialization,” he stated via telephone.

However, in another area of Cozumel, there is good production, which is cushioning the finances of the cooperative, he noted. The fisherman, with over 26 years of experience, mentioned that production has been low since the start due to sargassum, in which 50 fishermen face the onslaught of sargassum, which was the cause of the low lobster catch production. The lobster fishing season began on July 1, 2025, and concludes on February 28, 2026.