Protecting a playground for whales

Almost all the world's whale species, including humpbacks, finbacks, sperm, blue, pilot and gray whales can be found in the Gulf of California. The area is not only teeming with marine life - around a quarter of all sea mammals live in the region - it's also a kind of nursery. This is where many whale species come to breed and bring their young into the world.

Local communities are working hard to keep it that way. The Bahia de Loreto Marine Park was established on the initiative of residents there to keep commercial shrimp trawlers at bay. A women's cooperative in the region is also leading the charge with a project that promotes sustainable fishing of aquarium fish. Even in Cabo Pulmo, a unique coral reef, fishermen are maintaining the park. The protection of this relatively small area is extremely important - it serves as a breeding ground for fish and larvae that migrate to neighboring ecosystems where they contribute to their balance.

A film by Katja Losch

Video list

Information

Length
7:05 Minutes

Date of publication
2015

Global Ideas

The television reports and documentaries of Deutsche Welle's 'Global Ideas' media project provide people all over the world with information on model projects which implement biodiversity and climate protection. The media project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative.