Overview

• Satellite and field observations estimate 37 to 40 million tonnes of sargassum formed offshore this season, nearly double previous bloom peaks.
• The Mexican Navy’s 2025 Sargazo Attention Strategy has mobilized 400 personnel, a specialized ocean-going vessel, 11 coastal ships, 22 support craft and 8,850 metres of containment barriers.
• Naval operations have removed more than 44,000 tonnes of sargassum in Quintana Roo so far this year, adding to a cumulative 290,000 tonnes collected since 2019.
• Persistent strandings have driven hotel occupancy in Tulum down to around 40%, marking the steepest tourist decline in a decade.
• Researchers warn that climate change, rising Atlantic nutrient loads and altered currents are fueling increasingly severe blooms with lasting ecological and economic impacts.