Since the early 2000s, multiple scientific reports have been made of sightings of great whales (blue, fin and humpback) in Mejillones bay. The oceanographic opwelling is observed along the coast of the Mejillones peninsula. Upwelling brings nutrient-rich water from the deep sea towards the surface and it is these nutrients that attract cetaceans. In order to protect these animals from ship strikes, the first routing guidelines for Mejillones were issued in 2022 based on an in

Whales have been adapting to change on earth ever since one day, about 55 million years ago, in the ancient Tethys Sea, when a dog-sized, hoofed, four-legged animal began to discover that life in the watery world was a better bet for survival than the struggles it faced on land. One good day at a time, these terrestrial-gone aquatic animals splashed around in their new habitat. Initially they had to constantly lift their noses up out of the water to breathe. Evolutionary suc

After graduating as a Business Engineer from the University of Antwerp, Hélène began her professional career as a business analyst at a software company. In 2019, she transitioned to the maritime industry, joining the Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association (KBRV). Following a presentation by Whale Guardians co-founder Capt. Michael Barbaix in 2022, she became convinced of the urgent need to take action to minimize ship strikes. Recognizing that regulatory action through the In

Antofagasta sits within the Atacama desert, the driest non-polar desert of planet earth, and is described as a laid back Chilean city, home to about half a million people. It is one of the planet's major mining hubs, exporting copper, nitrate, iodine, gold, silver, iron ore, lithium, cement and lime, and other refined materials such as steel, from its seven-berth port. Between two to three thousand ships come and go annually from the port, traveling through the habitat of end

Innovations and Insights from Ocean Innovation Africa A few weeks ago, I ( Gregory Vogt ) attended the Ocean Innovation Africa conference at the Durban International Conference Centre with the intention of networking on behalf of Whale Guardians South Africa. The event provided an excellent platform to connect with professionals dedicated to ocean conservation and innovation. Expert Workshops and Focus on Ocean Innovation On the second day of the conference, five expert work

The Port of Mejillones is situated in a habitat like no other - a place of the greatest possible contrast between the Peruvian (or Humboldt) Current, one of the richest sea currents of our blue planet - wild and full-of-life - and the driest, most devoid-of-life desert, the Atacama, gateway and home to some of the planet's largest copper, nitrate, gold, silver and lithium mines. A place in which the needs of some of earth's most rich and magnificent wildlife, and our present

WHERE DO THE MAJORITY OF SHIP/WHALE ENCOUNTERS OCCUr AND WHAT IS THE ONLY REAL SOLUTION TO FIX THIS GLOBAL ISSUE? The global ocean is a vast, interconnected part of our planet covering roughly 70% of its surface. Our human counterparts in these complex waters are, without question, the great whales. They are warm blooded mammals just like us, they have large brains just like us, and they communicate and cooperate with their own species, just like us. Many of them live in fami

Retired from business life, Julio has dedicated himself since 2004 to navigating and monitoring whales and dolphins along the north coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. The ocean has always been his greatest passion, and even before retiring, he always found time to go out to sea in his boat. Julio began undertaking longer voyages with friends for blue-water fishing (billfish expeditions), but one day in 2003, he experienced something like an epiphany - a true revelation. While

Gregory Vogt leads the South African Chapter of Whale Guardians and is the initiator of the Whale Guardian (a marine mammal GPS device) and citizen science programme, designed to improve real-world awareness of whale presence in working oceans. Greg’s background in marine awareness spans more than two decades. In the late 1990s, he served as Chairman of the MTN Cape Whale Route, a pioneering whale-watching and public education initiative that received international recogniti

Written by Cristóbal González Comella · The white blue whale our team encountered earlier this month during their 5-week long expedition in Loreto, Mexico is the blue whale that has the strongest visual component of albinism in the world. It was first officially documented in 1997 at the very same region of the Sea of Cortez where our team had their experience. This blue whale has been observed over the past few decades between the Oregon and Baja California Sur coastlines.

Ana M. Garcia-Cegarra is a marine scientist from Spain. She arrived in Chile in 2014 to pursue her PhD at the University of Antofagasta, focusing on the conservation of cetaceans along the southeast Pacific Ocean. When she first arrived in Mejillones, her advisor told her that sightings of fin whales occurred occasionally during the summer, and that the bay had intense marine traffic, with seven major seaports supplying the mining industry. At that time, there were no studie

For our #MeetTheTeam series, this month we are introducing Cristóbal González Comella , our Regional Director for Latin America . Cristóbal was born and raised in México, and is of Cuban and Spanish heritage. He studied at Les Roches International School of Hotel Management throughout three of its global hubs; Marbella (Spain), Bluche (Switzerland), and Chicago (Illinois), obtaining his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the latter. He lived in Ireland befo

Our research team, consisting of our founders, Michael Fishbach and Heather Watrous, along with their son Galen who is this year’s main photographer, and Cristóbal González our Regional Director in Latin America, have had a highly productive year photo-identifying Blue Whales among other great whale species that inhabit the rich waters of the Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California as it known in other parts of the world. This is Michael’s 32 nd year coming down to Loreto to pho

Written by Hélène Smidt In the last two months, we’ve received membership requests from ship owners, ship managers, and weather-routing companies who want to collaborate and integrate whale data into voyage planning on more than 10,000 vessels. At the same time, additional whale data is coming in from all over the world, helping us map whale-sensitive zones more accurately than ever. That means our two application heroes - Erik Roscam Abbing and Werner huysmans - have been w

When a whale breaches, rising through the surface of the water, an arching body striking the horizon line, exhaling its misty breath into the atmosphere, something shifts in us. Time slows, awe takes over. We feel connected to these animals, drawn not only by their immensity, but by their acute intelligence and their memory. Their presence is an essential part of the shared story of all life on Earth. Whales are planetary architects - keystones species that keep whole ecosy

Over the past weeks, the Whale Guardians initiative has taken important steps forward through direct engagement, operational implementation, and strengthened collaboration across key South American ports. The MV Lowlands Pelikaan , a vessel from our valued member Cobelfret, sailed along the Chilean coastline with our Whale Guardian Capt. Sveto on board during a period marked by increased whale migration and a rise in reported ship strikes. This context made our mission partic

Espaço Vida Marinha, part of the Municipal Tourism Department of São Sebastião, welcomed the crew of the cargo ship Lowlands Pelikaan, arriving from Chile. During the voyage from Antofagasta to São Sebastião, the crew took part in practical training provided by the company Whale Guardians, under the coordination of Captain Sveto. The training covered measures to prevent collisions between ships and whales—one of the greatest risks to these animals—such as reducing speed in sp

Vports Initiative Uses Port Monitoring System to Prevent Vessel Collisions with Humpback Whales Along the Coast of Espírito Santo. Vports began the year with national recognition in the field of sustainability. The company won second place at the 2025 ANTAQ Award , in the Innovative Initiatives category, with a whale protection project developed in partnership with the Instituto Baleia Jubarte and the international organization Great Whale Conservancy , in the waters off Es

Michael started his seafaring career at the age of 17 when he got accepted at the Antwerp Maritime Academy (Belgium). He graduated Magna Cum Laude as a Master in the Nautical Sciences in 2006 after which he immediately went to sea pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a ship's captain. His father had been a seaman and ever since Michael was a small kid, it was all boats and water that attracted him. His seamansbook counts more than 40 ocean-going trips all over the world,

For our #MeetTheTeam series, this week we are introducing Erik Roscam Abbing . Erik co-developed together with the amazing Werner huysmans our application that plots whale data and vessel data on a map and let us verify how our members perform in whale sensitive areas. Their efforts have been recognized with a Blue Innovation Award in 2025 from De Blauwe Cluster . Erik is a design and innovation strategist who, throughout his career, has helped countless organizations bec