First seaweed barrier to be placed in Cancun waters this week

Cancun, Q.R. — Research officials and government agencies have agreed that the best way to deal with the region’s sargasso is to keep it in the sea.

The Secretary of Ecology and Environment Alfredo Arellano, says those working on the problem have agreed the best way to address the situation is to divert and contain the sargasso at sea to prevent it from reaching the beaches.

He explained that, following the announcement of Governor Carlos Joaquín, this week the first barrier will be placed on the marine coastline at Punta Nizuc just outside the city of Cancun.

Arellano explained that on Monday, a meeting was held between the Commission of Natural Protected Areas, the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment and the company that will place the sargasso barriers in the sea.

At the meeting, the points for the installation of the first barrier were detailed. Later, he says, barriers will be placed in strategic areas along the coast of Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Mahahual and Puerto Morelos.

“By returning the macro alga to the currents through the barriers, we will avoid the excessive arrival of this vegetation, which, when it makes contact with the sand of the beach and the passage of time, can cause changes in the balance of the exposed ecosystems.

“In this way we guarantee more and better opportunities for those of Quintana Roo to have a healthy environment protecting the beauty of our coasts,” emphasized Arellano.

He explained that they are working on a revision of the marine currents, of the crosscurrents and of winds. He says the group made a model to find the most vulnerable zones and, based on that information, the first barrier will be placed.

He says that the barrier will be anchored to the marine subsoil, but with the ability to be removed and used again next season when the seaweed arrives again.