Record Sargassum Is Winning Against Cleanup Efforts

Ambergris Caye’s Boca del Rio area received a community facelift just over a week ago, but sargassum continues to overwhelm the coastline.

The cleanup was led by a team from Dassault Systèmes, who partnered with the San Pedro Town Council to repaint park structures, plant sand-stabilising island species, install protective signage, plant new mangrove seedlings, upgrade palapas, and clean up the beaches from the heavy influx of sargassum.

The council described the effort as giving the area “a lovely makeover”.

But a major problem remains. A local resident recently shared videos and images taken from a boat ride along the old river in the Boca del Rio area. The recent images show the old river corridor heavily saturated with seaweed.

The issue extends well beyond Belize’s coastlines. Neighbouring Mexico is under red alert conditions, with Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Puerto Morelos, and Mahahual all facing heavy accumulations that are outpacing the daily cleanup efforts of local crews.

Regionally, the situation is at a record level. According to the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab, sargassum continued to increase across most regions in May, showing it reached the highest amount ever recorded for that month.