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

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

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

Written by Cristóbal González Comella, our Head of Project Leadership & Fundraising for Latin America & Capt. Sveto Todorov, our Board Member WG Europe & Maritime Industry Liaison Fin Whale season is in full bloom right now in Antofagasta Bay! Thanks to the invaluable work of the biologists who collaborate with Whale Guardians, significant amount of data is being collected  at this moment. A team led by Ana María García Cegarra , a cetacean conservationists and assistant prof

Written by Gregory Vogt - our African Regional Coastal Representative Southern Africa is a globally significant marine-mammal hotspot. From the cold, nutrient-rich Benguela system along South Africa’s west coast to the warm, current-driven waters of the east coast, our seas support an exceptional diversity of whales and dolphins. This includes large migratory baleen whales, resident coastal species, and increasingly documented superpods — unusually large aggregations of anima

Our very own Michael and Delphi were featured in a portion of this episode of Call To Earth by CNN and Rolex with official guest editors...

This short 3 minute segment aired on live TV March 30th, 2023, featuring our very own Michael Fishbach and Delphi Waters talking about...

Meet the newly named Bello Blue Whale and enjoy some relaxing breaths from the largest species on the planet. This individual has entered...

"In 2017, I led a team of filmmakers to Antarctica to celebrate the beauty of the continent and assess the risks posed by humans to its...

"After going to the Atacama desert in Chile for the Whale Guardians™ Reroutring Document Implementation Ceremony in Mejillones Chile, I...

This gives us and the whales a "Proof of Concept ''

We have spent the first remarkable week of a work trip to Brazil to further our efforts in the mitigation of ship strikes on whales on the