Sargassum is expected to increase, especially in Playa del Carmen, with collection levels equal to or higher than those of 2022
For this year, sargassum is expected to increase, especially in Playa del Carmen, with collection levels equal to or higher than those of 2022, when around 37,000 tons arrived.
“The numbers up to December 31 of last year are quite strong because we had a total of 37,500 tons of sargassum. This year we are preparing for an arrival that is just as intense or higher,” said Lourdes Várguez Ocampo, director of Zofemat.
In Playa del Carmen you can already see the arrival of reddish sargassum, which is less affected because it is easier to harvest as it is lighter. “Between January 1 and January 2, 4.57 tons of sargassum have been collected, but I want to clarify, more than sargassum it is red algae, in season from November to February, which is when the temperature drops a bit, which is the most that lands on the coast is the red algae”, commented Várguez Ocampo, as reported by Sipse.
According to Várguez, they have budgeted 40 million Mexican pesos for the collection of sargassum this year, since the University of South Florida has announced a strong arrival of sargassum for the first months of the year due to the high accumulation that has been observed.
In December, hoteliers in the Mexican Caribbean raised the alarm about the imminent arrival of sargassum on the coasts, since they expect a strong arrival of the macroalgae for the first two months of the year, for which they urge the authorities to activate the anti algae plan.
Source : Sectur Yucatan
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