Mexico Shifts Sargassum Strategy to Offshore Removal and Resource Development

The Mexican federal government announced a new plan to combat the annual influx of sargassum in the Caribbean by investing roughly 2 billion pesos in offshore collection. Instead of waiting for the algae to wash ashore, the program will deploy vessels, shovels and trucks to harvest the macroalgae several kilometres out at sea, aiming to reduce the environmental damage, foul odors and tourism losses that occur once the algae reaches the beaches.

The 2026 season is expected to bring about 119,000 tonnes of sargassum to the Quintana Roo coast, with economic costs estimated in the billions of dollars from cleanup, lost tourism and ecosystem harm. In parallel, Mexico and other Caribbean nations are exploring ways to turn the algae into valuable products, such as bio‑fertilizers, bioplastics, construction materials and textile fibers. Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada are also researching composite materials, animal feed and biogas derived from the seaweed, signalling a regional shift from viewing sargassum as waste to a potential raw material.