Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Approximately 70 percent of the total sargassum collected in 2025 has already been collected this year. The coast of Quintana Roo continues its fight against the mass arrival of sargassum with new strategies.
The Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Naval Zone of the Mexican Navy, Javier Mendoza Rosales, says the sargassum issue is being addressed through a comprehensive strategy.
The Navy, who is in charge of sargassum collection, says they are working on adjustments to the current operational strategy to improve collection at sea.
He noted that although the amount collected during the year is high, forecasts point to the arrival of new waves of seaweed.
According to monitoring by the Gulf and Caribbean Oceanographic Institute, more than 150 tons of seaweed is currently floating in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
The large mass was detected June 16. Of that floating mass, approximately 53,000 tons is heading toward the coast of Quintana Roo.
According to the Secretary of the Marina, the east side of the island of Cozumel and the coast of Mahahual will be the hardest hit.
The Marina reports given winds and current, approximately 30 tons will make landfall along Cozumel and 25 tons at Mahahual.
With that, Mendoza Rosales says they are analyzing new ways to intercept the seaweed to stop it from making landfall. There are more than 350 Marina personnel deployed along the coast helping municipal workers remove washed up sargassum.
There are also more than a dozen sargassum collection vessels operating off the coast along with 9,000 meters of installed anti-sargassum barriers.
According to Mendoza Rosales, over 63,000 tons of sargassum has been collected from the coast of Quintana Roo already this year, representing approximately 70 percent of the total collected during 2025.
