About Michael Fishbach and whale guardians

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

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

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

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

For our #MeetTheTeam series, we are kicking off by introducing Captain Svetoslav Todorov , who, among other contributions, supports the development of training and educational programs for seafarers worldwide Sveto is a Board Member of Whale Guardians EU and has been an active volunteer with the organization for nearly four years. A graduate of the Maritime Academy, he has sailed worldwide on cargo and passenger vessels, serving as a ship’s captain. He remains closely conn