by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:48 PM ET, Fri April 8, 2022
As Quintana Roo prepares for a massive influx of sargassum on its beaches, the Mexican Navy revealed it would send over half of its seaweed collection fleet to the state's coast.
According to The Cancun Sun, naval officials said six of the 11 sargassum collection vessels in its fleet have been assigned to Quintana Roo to help stop the stinky seaweed from reaching popular beach destinations.
The ships are designed to alleviate the need for local hotel workers and other groups to collect sargassum from the beaches. The Mexican Navy is also installing seaweed barriers at strategic points along the coast to catch the bulk of the sargassum that gets past the vessels.
While the Navy has already added around 300 anchors for the barriers in Mahahual, Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos, only 450 meters has been installed as large amounts of sargassum have arrived.
Officials in Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and Tulum revealed the installation of barriers won't take place until the second week of April, a major problem for hotel owners and visitors as the seaweed has already started washing up on beaches.
In total, Quintana Roo's sargassum index lists "44 beaches as having excessive sargassum, 10 with a moderate presence, 22 with a very low presence and only four with no presence," per The Cancun Sun.
As for the seaweed that makes it to the beach, authorities in Playa del Carmen have come up with a creative way to clear the sargassum away. People arrested for administrative offenses in the city are given an option to clean up instead of serving jail time or paying a fine, according to The Riviera Maya News.
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