Sargassum Overwhelms Xcalak Beaches as Residents Urge Government Action

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Residents of Xcalak say their beaches have been overwhelmed by sargassum for weeks, and they are calling on authorities to include the coastal community in the new sargassum-fighting strategies planned for the Costa Maya region. The seaweed, they say, continues to arrive in large quantities, releasing foul odors as it rots and leaving a poor impression on visitors in the middle of the summer holiday season.

Gilberto Beltrán Yam, deputy delegate of Xcalak, said local residents can no longer handle the problem on their own. “Sargassum keeps arriving by the ton on Xcalak’s coast,” he said. “We need brigades and navy personnel with vessels here, like they have in Mahahual. The seaweed drives away the little tourism we get, hurting hotel operators, restaurant owners and fishermen.”

Beltrán Yam argued that Xcalak deserves the same kind of support that larger tourist destinations receiving multi-million-dollar investments to combat the seaweed. The community is home to one of the most important ecosystems in the Mexican Caribbean: the nearly 18,000-hectare Arrecifal National Park, part of the Mesoamerican Reef System, which protects mangroves, jungle and a wide variety of marine flora and fauna.

“What we want is for Xcalak to receive the same attention that other tourist areas in the state are getting,” he said. “We have an important ecosystem to protect, including the reef barrier and mangroves.” He added that the problem is not new — Xcalak faces large sargassum arrivals every year, which have also caused beach erosion — and he asked for technical support and floating containment barriers to keep the seaweed from reaching the sand.

Residents also asked authorities to rebuild the community pier, which is completely destroyed; maintain the access road; and provide efficient electricity service.