Puerto Morelos has a place in Mexico’s 2-billion-peso strategy to tackle sargassum, from intercepting it offshore to finding useful markets for the seaweed collected here. The plan brings together more collection vessels, containment barriers and beach cleanup equipment.

Five Priority Areas, Including Puerto Morelos

President Claudia Sheinbaum outlined the funding at her July 30, 2026 press conference. Puerto Morelos was named alongside Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Mahahual as a priority for the strengthened response.

Together, those areas cover roughly 40 to 50 kilometers of beach. That figure refers to the combined priority stretches across the five destinations, not Puerto Morelos alone.

The strategy coordinates federal, state and municipal work with hotel operators. For Puerto Morelos, the designation puts local shores among the areas targeted for additional collection and containment resources.

Catching More Sargassum Before It Lands

The main goal is to collect more sargassum in the water, before it reaches the sand. Ocean-going and coastal vessels form part of that effort, supported by barriers that contain or redirect the floating seaweed.

Near shore, smaller collection boats and amphibious equipment help move the material out of the water. The sequence matters: intercept it offshore, gather what accumulates near the barriers, then remove what still reaches the beach.

Cleaning the Beach Without Taking the Sand

Beach crews remain an essential part of the response when sargassum makes it ashore. Sheinbaum emphasized using approved methods and equipment that avoid removing sand along with the seaweed.

The July presentation also described sifting collected material so the sand can be returned to the beach. Keeping the shoreline intact is part of the job, alongside clearing the seaweed.

Puerto Morelos Is Already Turning Sargassum Into Products

Collection is only part of the story. Puerto Morelos also has a processing operation that turns fresh sargassum into agricultural products, giving some of the material a use beyond disposal.

In a June 28 interview with La Jornada Maya, Sarga Agriscience’s innovation and technology director, Sebastián Aguilar de Alba, described sales in the United States, Ecuador and Colombia. The report identified Puerto Morelos as the processing location and connected the operation with CarbonWave and Ensol.

The company reported an Ecuador order for 10,000 liters and sales to a major fertilizer business in the United States. It also said demand was stretching its production infrastructure, a reminder that turning seaweed into a marketable product requires processing capacity as well as a supply of raw material.

What This Means for Local Beaches

The plan combines defenses in the water with careful cleanup on shore and a growing market for processed sargassum. The local agricultural-products operation shows that useful applications already exist, even as the collection and processing systems continue to develop.

For residents and visitors, the aim is less seaweed reaching the sand and better handling of what is collected. The July announcement sets out the strategy, but it does not establish how much of the planned equipment is operating on each stretch of beach today.