More Than 71 Tons of Sargassum Cleaned From Cancun Beaches

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 12:55 AM ET, Sat February 11, 2023

The public services department in Cancun has been busy cleaning sargassum from the shorelines of the popular Mexican beach and resort destination.

More than 71 tons of the large brown seaweed was removed from Cancun's beachfronts last month, according to Riviera Maya News. Cancun Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta told the publication that sargassum is being cleaned from the city's beaches every day.

"We are on a supervision tour of our public beaches in Cancun, which are free of landfalls of sargassum because we have a great team of collaborators with more than 100 people who began working Wednesday to clean up the sargassum," the mayor told Riviera Maya News.

Public services personnel and the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) are actively working to maintain the beauty of Cancun's beaches and since Tuesday alone have removed 60 cubic meters of sargassum, said Peralta.

The ongoing cleanup is part of a broader effort to avoid any environmental impacts or effects from the unsightly seaweed on Cancun's vital tourism industry.

Last month, 71.4 tons of sargassum was taken from beaches. Though the mayor emphasized that the levels of sargassum arrivals are considered low.

Sargassum is a brown macroalgea that's found in temperate and tropical regions. It is generally found in shallow waters and coral reefs and is not harmful to human health, but can cause rashes.

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