Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Puerto Morelos; Officials Split on Cause

Hundreds of dead fish, mostly sardines, washed ashore at Punta Caracol and Bahía Petempich in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, triggering an investigation by state and federal authorities. The cause is disputed: some officials attribute the die-off to sargasso decomposition, while others insist it is a natural phenomenon unrelated to the algae.

The discovery

Reports emerged from local fishermen and tourism workers of a large number of dead fish covering the beach and floating in the water. Species included sardines, jacks, snappers, and pompano. Environmental agencies collected samples and began cleanup operations.

Divergent explanations

• Excélsior reported that the Secretariat of Environment, Animal Welfare and Sustainable Mobility, led by Gerardo Rosas, concluded that the deaths resulted from hypoxia caused by decaying sargasso, a process that depletes dissolved oxygen. Source: Excélsior
• In contrast, Milenio quoted Óscar Rébora Aguilera, head of the state's Ecology and Environment Secretariat (SEMA), who stated that the event was "not related to sargasso" but was a natural phenomenon linked to tidal shifts and water temperature changes. Source: Milenio
• Infobae noted that SEMA's preliminary hypothesis pointed to a combination of tides, temperature variations, and oxygen depletion, but said there was no conclusive evidence directly linking the die-off to sargasso. Source: Infobae

Both sources agree that similar events have occurred before in the region and that monitoring continues. The disagreement highlights the difficulty in pinpointing a single cause amid the broader context of climate change and increasing sargasso blooms.