Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum said the federal government will present an integrated sargassum strategy in about 15 days to coordinate Navy, scientists, states and the tourism sector.
- The Navy is already operating 538 personnel, 11 small sargaceras and the Natans vessel, which is rated to recover about 250 tonnes per day and can operate up to 20 miles offshore, and officials are preparing another adapted ship plus buoy-and-net containment systems.
- Officials are using satellite monitoring and daily operational bulletins from the Navy’s oceanographic institute, ICML/UNAM, the University of South Florida, NASA and CONABIO to locate sargassum patches and avoid turtle‑nesting zones during collection.
- Semarnat and state authorities have urged hoteliers and local actors to deploy barriers and boats at sea, while local committees such as Mahahual’s, with Royal Caribbean, have removed hundreds of tonnes and begun pilot reuse projects for biogas, fertilizers and construction materials.
- Scientists warn the scale is unprecedented—roughly 40 million tonnes in the Atlantic with forecasts of up to about 130,000 tonnes to Quintana Roo this season—and state officials say the influx has already cost the local economy heavily while harming reefs, turtle nesting and public health through decomposition gases.