Andrea Zelinski
Sargassum season is upon us once again. And like holiday shopping season, it seems like it's starting earlier each year.
The brown, stinky seaweed is a growing problem along the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean as well as in Florida, the Caribbean islands and even along the northern coast of South America. It does have its ecological benefits, for sure, but when it arrives on the shores of some of the most popular vacation spots, it can adversely affect sea turtle nesting areas, suffocate flora and fauna — and put a real damper on your clients' beach days.
Last year was a record year for sargassum blooms, and 2026 "is very likely another major Sargassum year," according to the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, which tracks blooms with a satellite-based system.
Normally, sargassum begins to arrive in April. This year, however, it started washing up on beaches between Isla Mujeres and Mahahual in January, due to strong winds. Hundreds of tons of seaweed have since been cleared from the beaches, but the early arrival is pushing officials in Mexico to start devising a strategy for managing sargassum early, reports the Riviera Maya News.
"This phenomenon directly impacts our economy, tourism and the livelihoods of thousands of families. That's why we are developing a serious and effective plan between the government and the private sector, learning from our experiences and improving our actions," Tulum mayor Diego Castanon Trejo told the publication. Among the solutions is adding anti-sargassum barriers off the coast to keep at least some of the seaweed from reaching land.
Taking action on the Riviera Maya
Along the Riviera Maya, El Dorado Royale is trying a new approach to both removing the seaweed and putting it to good use. The hotel south of Cancun is allowing Grogenics, a climate tech company, to collect the seaweed, treat it to make it safe for agricultural use and blend it into a biochar-enriched compost (made in part with green waste like grass clippings from the hotel). This process transforms the waste into a product with climate and soil benefits, which is being provided to women-led farms that supply resorts with sustainably grown produce.
Beachfront hotels and resorts like El Dorado Royale are often on the front line of sargassum landings, said Josee Dancause, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Grogenics. "They experience the ecological and economic impacts immediately and already manage ongoing clean-up efforts. That makes them natural early partners for testing a more systemic approach."
The company is looking to expand to other hotels and properties in Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.
With a big seaweed year apparently likely and stakeholders devising ways to manage the load, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for news about sargassum trouble spots, tell clients to pack their patience this year and suggest a Plan B, like a hotel or resort with a pool.