HMB Sargassum Project

The HMB Sargassum Project aims to create a Sargassum Free Zone along Half Moon Bay by:

 

• DEPLOYING a barrier that can deflect up to ⅔ of incoming sargassum, and

• RELYING on beachfront lots to follow these Guidelines for managing any “Residual Sargassum”
  that still reaches the shore

 

This two pronged project plan dovetails with key sargassum management directives promulgated by EIMAS, a consortium of environmental agencies in Quintana Roo, all of whom agree that the outlook is excellent for the success of our project in 2024.  But we must act quickly to secure community funding to cover the cost of 2024 Barrier Operations.  A new page on this website has been setup to track our success in garnering commitments to cover these costs.

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The HMB Sargassum Project was launched in 2019 to figure out how Akumal Norte might best mitigate

the toxic impact of sargassum infestations on marine life in Half Moon Bay and on our local economy. 

After consulting with scientists & engineers (and after researching a wide range of mitigation technologies), project founders concluded that the best solution would be the purchase & installation of a commercial grade dflection sargassum PLUS a commitment on the part of beachfront property owners to deply in-house maintenance staff to do DAILY beach cleaning of any incoming "Residual Sargassum" that makes it past the barrier.  (As long as the barrier deflected at least 70% of incoming sargassum away from the bay, they projected that beachfront property owners would be able to affordably manage the remaining 30% of "Residual Sargassum" that would still wash up on the shore.)

 

In 2020, project founders launched this website to share their recommendations and to gauge whether the wider community would support a barrier project of this magnitude...and to ensure that beachfront property owners would commit to cleaning the greatly reduced amount of sargassum that might still reach the shore.  The answer, from over 100 donors, was a resounding "YES!!".  And, by the fall of 2022, we had almost half a million dollars in had to proceed with the project. 

 

On May 1st, 2023 barrier installation began.  Unfortunately, the 2023 Sargassum Season had begun much earlier than in years past. By the time barrier installation was complete, the beach was already piled high with rotting sargassum and beachfront property owners had given up on any attempt to clean up the massive mess. This meant it would be impossible to achieve our goal of making Half Moon Bay a sargassum free zone in 2023.  But we proceeded with barrier installation anyway in order to test barrier performance in a variety of different configurations.  As detailed in our 2023 Annual Report, by July the barrier was performing at top efficiency in deflecting at least 2/3 of NEW incoming sargassum away from the bay and it was clear we were ready for the 2024 Sargassum Season!

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Ongoing community support for the HMB Sargassum Project demonstrates a commitment to protecting our reef, our beaches and our local economy from the ravages of sargassum infestations.  Together we can create a "Sargassum Free Zone" in our beloved Akumal Norte!  For more information, please visit:

 

the Operations page for data on sargassum deflection and details on barrier operating expenses

the Environment Page for data on turtle nesting and other environmental issues that might be impacted by barrier infrastructure

the Resources Page for FAQs plus a curated list of scientific articles detailing key studies that have been conducted on the toxic impact of sargassum infestations around the world.

 

And most importantly.....

 If you care about protecting our beaches and fragile marine environment, 
please donate TODAY!!