Quintana Roo to Launch World’s First Formal Sargassum Fishery With 840 Fishermen

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Mexican Caribbean is preparing to launch what organizers describe as the first formal sargassum fishery of its kind, a project that aims to turn the collection of the seaweed into a sustainable economic activity and bring local fishermen into the trade.

Ignacio Muñoz, a representative of the Seas We Love initiative, said the project is being developed with the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council and the Federation of Fishing Cooperatives of Quintana Roo, with the goal of establishing a formal framework for harvesting sargassum in open water.

He said the strategy calls for involving the state’s fishermen directly in collection work before the seaweed reaches the beaches, turning an environmental problem that affects the Mexican Caribbean every year into an economic development opportunity for coastal communities.

Pilot to begin in early 2027

The pilot plan is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027, with backing from the European Union and an estimated investment of $3 million. The operating area would stretch from Xcalak to Puerto Morelos, covering the southern and northern stretches of the Quintana Roo coast.

According to the initiative, the project envisions the participation of about 840 fishermen and 400 small boats, with a projected capacity to collect between 2,000 and 4,000 tons of biomass per day in open water.

Building a market for harvested sargassum

Muñoz said one of the main challenges will be developing a market for the harvested sargassum so the activity can sustain itself financially and generate benefits for fishermen, while also helping reduce the impact of the seaweed on beaches and the region’s tourism industry.