Navy collects 178 tons of sargassum from Mexico beaches

Cancún, Quintana Roo — So far this year, personnel from the Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina-Armada de México, Semar) in coordination with Quintana Roo authorities have collected approximately 178 tons of sargassum in the municipalities of Isla Mujeres, Benito Juárez, Puerto Morelos, Cozumel, Solidaridad, Tulum, and on the beaches of Mahahual and Xcalak in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco. Actions will continue to contain the arrival of these marine algae to the beaches of this state.

It should be noted that in 2025, collaboration between the Semar, local authorities, and civil and business organizations achieved a historic collection compared to previous years, removing 92,783 tons of this algae.

The strategy to “mitigate the negative effects of this marine algae on the environment, tourism activity, and society, along the coast of the state of Quintana Roo” maintains a collection strategy, and at this time of year they are in the “preparation phase and ready to move to the deployment and collection stage, as soon as weather conditions warrant,” the naval institution stated.

For these tasks, 16 surface units are employed, including one Oceanic Sargassum Vessel, 11 Coastal Sargassum Vessels, and four Amphibious Sargassum Vessels. Similarly, there are 16 smaller support vessels, as well as 9,500 meters of barriers used for containment. In coordination with the state government, the placement of an additional 6,000 meters of barrier is projected.