Sargasso Crisis Cripples Tourism and Fishing Cooperatives in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A massive influx of sargasso seaweed has pushed tourism and fishing cooperatives in Playa del Carmen to the brink, with beaches transformed into inaccessible sludge, tourists staying away, and repair costs for boats skyrocketing.

José Gómez Burgos, president of the Cooperativa Turística Mar Caribe and the fishing cooperative Xaman Ha, warned that the situation is now unsustainable due to severe ecological damage along the coast.

While sargasso near the fiscal pier is cleared by ongoing efforts from the Mexican Navy, other iconic spots are suffering. “Places like El Recodo and the stretch from 40th to 46th Street have practically turned into mudflats because the huge volumes of sargasso can’t be removed in time,” Gómez Burgos said.

The cooperative leader highlighted the commercial impact: “The whole city is collapsing, tourists are absent, businesses near the beach are closing because they can’t cope. There are no customers, and the image scares away tourism.”

The crisis directly affects three local cooperatives — two tourism and one fishing — with 75 members operating 16 tourist boats and 20 fishing vessels. Fishermen have suspended all trips due to lack of demand. “Fishing is suspended now; with so much product there’s no way to sell it, so there’s no point investing in catching fish,” Gómez Burgos lamented.

Continuous contact with the seaweed accelerates corrosion of cables, electrical systems, and engines, driving up maintenance costs. A minor tune-up now costs around 5,000 pesos ($250), while major repairs can reach 8,000 pesos ($400) per boat.

The fishing leader noted that the sargasso problem compounds a decade-long loss of beach sand. “Since 2010 we’ve been losing sand, and in the last three years it has almost completely disappeared in some areas. We’re at the limit,” he said.

According to the latest official data from the Playa del Carmen Secretariat of Sustainable Environment and Climate Change, more than 13,000 metric tons of sargasso have been collected this year alone on the municipality’s beaches, underscoring the scale of the environmental and economic emergency.