Chetumal Bay faces ecological collapse, study finds

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Chetumal Bay, a crucial ecosystem in southern Quintana Roo, is experiencing an environmental crisis that has caused a drastic alteration in its biological community and physical environment.

A recent study led by Juan Jacobo Schmitter-Soto, a researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (Ecosur), reveals a decline of up to 50% in fauna, along with significant oceanographic changes.

This alteration, which has been compared to the situation prior to the opening of the Zaragoza Canal (over a period of more than 15 years), is attributed not only to local modifications from the canal connection but also to pressures from global climate change.

The research details that the collapse of fauna is more critical in the inner areas of the bay, near river mouths. The scarcity or total disappearance of key species such as anchovies, flounders, and two species of needlefish has been documented.

This trend is aggravated by cases of high mortality, such as that suffered by the Maya catfish (Ariopsis assimilis) around 2013, a species struggling for a complete recovery. Historically, other essential species like the sawfish have completely disappeared from the bay for decades.

Paradoxically, while inner areas are becoming impoverished, faunal abundance has increased slightly near the Zaragoza Canal, indicating a severe ecosystem rearrangement.