Massive Influx of Pelagic Sargassum spp. on the Coasts of the Mexican Caribbean 2014–2020: Challenges and Opportunities

Valeria Chávez,Abigail Uribe-Martínez,Lourdes B Celis,Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip,Brigitta I Van Tussenbroek,Vanessa Francisco,Rodolfo Silva,Eduardo Cuevas,Miriam Estévez,Rosa E Rodríguez-Martínez,Luis Masia,Rosa Leal-Bautista,L Verónica Monroy-Velázquez,Marta García-Sánchez

doi:10.3390/w12102908

Abstract

Since late 2014, the Mexican Caribbean coast has periodically received massive, atypical influxes of pelagic Sargassum spp. (sargasso). Negative impacts associated with these influxes include mortality of nearshore benthic flora and fauna, beach erosion, pollution, decreasing tourism and high management costs. To understand the dynamics of the sargasso influx, we used Landsat 8 imagery (from 2016 to mid-2020) to record the coverage of sargasso in the sea off the Mexican Caribbean coastline, with a maximum reported in September 2018. Satellite image analysis also showed local differences in the quantity of beached sargasso along the coastline. Over the years, good practice for collection on the beach and for off-shore collection of sargasso have been established through trial and error, and the Mexican Government and hotel industry have spent millions of dollars on removal and off-shore detention of sargasso. Notwithstanding, sargasso also has various properties that could be harnessed in local industries. The stimulation of local industrial growth would offer alternatives to the dependence on tourism, as a circular economy, based on sargasso, is developed.

Highlights

In 2011, large masses of the pelagic algae species of the genus Sargassum (S. natans and S. fluitans; described as sargasso from here) were reported for the first time floating in the North EquatorialRecirculation Region (NERR) of the southern Atlantic Ocean [1,2,3]
The aim of this work is to present a general overview of the massive sargasso influx in the Mexican Caribbean, from physical, ecological, social and economic perspectives
Effective long-term management strategies are needed to deal with the impact of the sargasso brown tides on highly sensitive coastal areas, such as seagrasses, coral reefs, mangroves, and tourist beaches

Summary

Introduction

In 2011, large masses of the pelagic algae species of the genus Sargassum (S. natans and S. fluitans; described as sargasso from here) were reported for the first time floating in the North Equatorial. Recirculation Region (NERR) of the southern Atlantic Ocean [1,2,3]. This new area of drifting algal masses, 8°–23°N and 89°–58° W, was named the Great Atlantic Sargasso Belt by Wang and collaborators [4], and by June 2018, its area had reached almost 3000 km, with a biomass of >20

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