Isla Mujeres, Q.R. — Municipal crews continue to work on removing more than 100 tons of sargassum from two of the island’s beaches due to bad weather. A work crew spent the day pitchforking a seemingly endless supply of washed up sargassum from the beach that landed due to the circulating weather system.
“Due to changes in sea currents, Wednesday morning, an atypical sargassum wash-up was recorded on Playa Norte generating immediate action by the Municipal Government through the work crews of Zofemat Isla Mujeres and volunteers from the Isla Mujeres City Council.
“Crews from very early in the morning were in charge of cleaning and removing this seaweed.
“These cleaning crews are joined by fishermen from different fishing cooperatives who benefit from the Temporary Employment Program, who during closed season and bad weather, can have an extra income to contribute to the economy of their families,” the Ayuntamiento (City Hall) of Isla Mujeres explained in a statement.
Dayana Alejandra Pérez Medina, the Director of Isla Mujeres Zofemat, said that on instructions from Mayor Atenea Gómez Ricalde, crews began the removal process at 6:00 a.m.
More than 70 people have been working on the beach to remove the sargassum that began to wash up Tuesday due to the circulating weather conditions.
“Due to weather conditions, there is an atypical wash-up of sargassum on the north beach where more than 70 people are working to remove the remaining 30 tons,” she said.
Crews from the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) and fishermen spent the morning and part of the afternoon removing what had washed up. The sargassum was removed from the areas of Playa Norte and El Riíto.
By noon, nearly 70 tons across 150 linear meters of sand had been removed from the beaches and loaded onto trucks for disposal. Crews continue to work to remove the remaining sargassum.
