Explainer: With sargassum seaweed washing ashore in huge amounts, the Caribbean turns to boats, barriers, and biofuel

MEXICO CITY, July 31 — Every morning at dawn, hundreds of Mexican hotel staff, tractor drivers, and specialized Navy crews head to the shore to clear record amounts of decaying sargassum seaweed from the white-sand Caribbean beaches around major tourist areas.

The seasonal surge has pushed hotels across the Caribbean to lower prices and spend millions cleaning foul-smelling piles of algae off the sand. At the same time, governments and companies are searching for longer-term fixes.