Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — In order to avoid a massive arrival of sargassum, Puerto Morelos is prepared to face the season. Already this year, they have placed 100 percent of the container barriers off the coastal area that covers the town.
According to Municipal Tourism Director Miguel Cámara, fortunately this macroalgae has provided a truce this year and the sandy beaches have remained clean for the enjoyment of the thousands of tourists who come to the Mexican Caribbean.
“It is an environmental issue that we are already accustomed to. This year, the barrier that we have in the Puerto Morelos area has already been completely place. They were placed a month earlier than last year which has helped a lot to mitigate the arrival of sargassum a little.
“Also this year, the sargassum has been a little more benevolent,” he said.
He added that normally for these months there would already be a significant presence of sargassum, which is something that has not impacted the tourist. In 2023, records were achieved in the number of visitors and everything points toward setting a new record for 2024.
State and federal authorities who responsible for the sargassum cleanup program, monitor the movement of the seaweed from Africa to the Caribbean Sea as well as the weather conditions, which have an influence on the volume that reaches the Mexican Caribbean.
Huguette Hernández Gómez, head of the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment (SEMA), said that 2023 was an atypical year in the arrival of sargassum to the coasts of Quintana Roo with 10 percent more arriving than had been estimated.
He indicated that in 2024, according to the forecasts of the members of the Quintana Roo Sargassum Working Group, climatic conditions will arise that may favor a reduction in the massive arrival of sargassum to the beaches.
