“Exclusive: Urgent Call for Early Anti-Sargassum Measures in Tulum”

Despite a relatively low influx of sargassum seaweed on Tulum's coasts in 2024, tourism industry professionals are calling for the early installation of containment barriers by the Secretariat of the Navy. They believe this preemptive measure could help mitigate the impact of the seaweed.

Alonso Gutiérrez, a boatman at Santa Fe Beach in Tulum National Park, suggests that installing these barriers at the start of the year could yield better results. He notes that sargassum tends to arrive earlier, often in January or February. Gutiérrez recalls instances when barrier installations were scheduled for March, but were delayed until later in the year. He also observes that the amount of macroalgae on the Caribbean Sea coasts has already begun to increase since last week.

"We are already seeing sargassum arrive, but the barriers are nowhere in sight," Gutiérrez said. "We trust that the government is monitoring the situation closely, but so far, there's been no change and we haven't been informed about when the barriers will be installed."

Saúl Canseco, a local waiter, agrees that the sargassum impact hasn't been as severe this year as it has in the past. He has noticed that authorities from all levels of government are working daily to clean up the small amounts of marine fern that wash ashore. However, he too emphasizes the need for early barrier installation. He believes this is an effective strategy that benefits the tourism sector without harming marine life.

Canseco said, "The authorities should consider that sargassum now arrives earlier in the year. Installing the barriers sooner would reduce the need for cleanup crews and help us maintain the pristine image of our beaches."