Marbella has removed an average of 1,500 tonnes of seaweed per month this year

Costa del Sol

In six months, the town is on track to double the figure recorded throughout the whole of 2025 and the council said the increase is "alarming"

José Carlos García

Marbella

In 2025, Marbella removed 5,300 tonnes of the dreaded Asian seaweed, and so far in 2026 the figure is already close to doubling. As ... of 24 June, the local council had removed 9,110 tonnes of the invasive species Rugulopterix okamurae from the beaches, giving an average of over 1,500 tonnes per month.

In June, up until San Juan, the town hall collected 2,006 tonnes, on course to break the record for the month with the highest amount of Asian seaweed washed up along the 27-kilometre coastline of the province’s second-largest municipality – a record previously held by February, with 2,416 tonnes. March saw 1,392 tonnes wash up on the town’s shores, ahead of January (1,280), May (1,136) and April, which, with 880 tonnes, was the most "favourable" month for Marbella's coastline.

This situation, caused by this algae – which is native to the Pacific and has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to colonise since it was first detected in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2016 – is costing the local authority more than one million euros, according to figures provided by beaches councillor Diego López. The councillor said that the situation “has worsened alarmingly”.

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