Sargassum Treatment Stalls in Playa del Carmen as Businesses Call for Clearer Rules

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Despite the peak sargassum season, authorities have made little progress in transforming the seaweed into reusable material to mitigate its ecological and tourism impact, business leaders said.

José Luis Acosta Quian, president of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Canacintra) in Playa del Carmen, said regulations are still needed to facilitate the use of the seaweed.

“It’s a complicated issue because of the laws that govern sargassum collection. We at Canacintra Playa have held talks with the municipal government, but locally, due to legal issues, the municipality cannot handle the full management of sargassum. So I think the first important step for authorities is to push the federal government to treat this as a problem and ensure state and federal laws are well coordinated,” Acosta Quian explained.

In August 2025, sargassum was recognized as a natural marine resource through its inclusion in the Fishing Charter, which regulates ocean harvesting. Nearly a year later, no concrete progress has been announced for its exploitation, while the macroalgae continues to arrive on the coast at unusually high levels.

“There is a lot of opportunity, a very important niche to industrialize sargassum. That’s exactly what we’re working on — how we can contribute, how we can do it because the city belongs to everyone. We can’t leave the responsibility only to the government; we need to see how we can join in,” the business leader added.

Sargassum arrivals were low between 2023 and 2024, but in 2025 they intensified again to levels that are already affecting tourism. In Playa del Carmen, visitors are choosing not to patronize establishments near the coast due to the discomfort caused by the seaweed.