Hoteliers Urge More Barges to Combat Sargassum in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Hoteliers in Playa del Carmen are calling for more barges to collect sargassum at sea, warning that the seaweed influx is threatening the local economy and that current resources are insufficient.

Ofner Arjona, president of the Association of Small Hotels, said the situation along the coast has become alarming due to the heavy arrival of the macroalgae in recent weeks.

“We had a meeting with the admiral of the Mexican Navy, who told us that ultimately, to cover all parts of the Quintana Roo coastline, we don’t have all the ships we need. So they have to manage by going to one area, then another, working together with Zofemat [the federal maritime-terrestrial zone authority], which is constantly working from the beach,” Arjona said.

He also noted a lack of transparency regarding funds from the Environmental Sanitation Fee, which could be better directed to address the problem. Arjona insisted that small hotels, based on their room count, should have a seat on the trust managing those funds so they can propose actions to improve the destination’s image.

According to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), as of April 17, 21,685 tons of sargassum had arrived in Mexican Caribbean waters. The influx increased sharply in the second half of April, with massive amounts of the algae accumulating mainly on beaches in the center of Playa del Carmen.

José Gómez Burgos, president of the Xaman-Ha fishing cooperative, said the barrier installed by the Mexican Navy has not been sufficient. He agreed with Arjona that the macroalgae needs to be collected at sea, but the lack of vessels is causing it to pile up on the shore.