Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — Sargassum barriers are being placed offshore Puerto Morelos to prevent as much algae as possible from reaching land. According to the Director of Public Services, the installation of sea barriers has begun with the arrival of the seaweed.
The city says that work will be done throughout the season to ensure beaches remain clean and clear of the seaweed. The arriving seaweed will be collected by barges from the sea on the other side of the barriers. Sargassum that reaches shallow waters should be diverted by the sea barriers, however, the seaweed that does reach land will be manually removed.
To date, 1,230 meters of sea barrier has been installed along the northern part of the public beaches of Puerto Morelos. The city intends to install another 1,000 linear meters, however for this, they first need to install 42 anchors to the sea bed.
There are also two sargasso boats collecting seaweed in shallow waters. The Directorate of Public Services reports that in April and so far in May, approximately 860 tons of sargassum has been collected from the beaches with human labor supported by machinery.
