Loreto: A sanctuary for cetaceans, not an amusement Park
Loreto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national park in Baja California Sur, Mexico, is renowned for hosting one of the highest concentrations of cetaceans in the Gulf of California. This pristine marine environment is home to a diverse array of species including blue whales, fin whales, humpbacks, sperm whales, orcas, pilot whales, Cuvier's beaked whales, and common dolphins. These magnificent creatures feed, mate, and reproduce within these waters.However:
"The Gulf of California isn't a floating circus for mass tourism; apparently some people think it's okay to treat it like one—because who needs pristine ecosystems when you can have selfie opportunities and plastic waste?"
Clown kayaking in Loreto National Park
Yet here we are—facing threats from mass tourism that jeopardize this delicate ecosystem:
Acoustic Pollution: Interferes with their communication.
Collision Risks: Increases the danger of impacts with protected species.
Behavioral Alteration: Affects reproduction by disrupting natural behaviors.
Habitat Degradation: Results from waste and pollution.
Cruise ship in Loreto National Park
Legal frameworks supporting conservation
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are protected under international law through the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. In Mexico specifically:
Mexican Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological Zones (1972):
Establishes public ownership over all archaeological properties even if located on private lands2.
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH):
General Wildlife Law (Ley General de Vida Silvestre) 2000:
Regulates wildlife management across Mexico including marine life protection.
Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations:
Require assessments before major projects that could impact protected areas like Loreto Bay National Marine Park.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Regulations:
Aim to reduce pollution from ships but need stricter enforcement in sensitive areas like UNESCO sites.
Responsibility behind protecting endangered species
As a UNESCO site hosting endangered species such as blue whales:
Cruise ship in Loreto National Park
Loreto Bay in Baja California Sur is a vital winter refuge and feeding ground for blue whales. Approximately 283 blue whales visit the Gulf of California annually, out of a total North Pacific population of about 2,497. Loreto is considered a breeding, feeding, and reproduction area for this species. Designated as a World Heritage Site in 2005, this Natural Protected Area is also a haven for other marine mammals, including various whale species, humpback whales, dolphins, orcas, and sea lions.In recent years, cruise ship visits to the area have increased significantly, promoted by local and federal authorities to generate economic benefits for the residents of Loreto. However, these ships, which can bring over 4,000 tourists per visit, overwhelm local public services for waste collection and energy supply in this small town of just 18,050 inhabitants.
Blue whale in Loreto photo by Regina Domingo
Moreover, the economic benefits are minimal for residents, with most profits going to federal authorities and foreign cruise ship operators.Worse, cruise ships have severe consequences for marine life, as demonstrated by numerous scientific studies in Mexico and abroad. In particular, these ships seriously harm marine mammals due to underwater noise produced by their engines.The management program of Loreto Bay National Park itself acknowledges that noise from vessels larger than 12 meters near aggregation, feeding, reproduction, and breeding sites of marine mammals, such as the blue whale, causes them to change their behavior, moving away from these vital sites. This leads to a decrease in the energy content necessary for migrations and energy maintenance for nursing and reproduction.The blue whale, the largest animal in the world, is critically endangered due to being heavily hunted in the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite the hunting moratorium and numerous conservation efforts, its survival remains at risk, with increased underwater noise and vessel impacts being major concerns. These challenges are compounded by a decrease in food availability due to the effects of climate change, as well as harmful interactions from vessels in their feeding areas. Due to their size, blue whales need to consume between 4 and 8 tons of food daily, which, given the current conditions of the oceans, is increasingly difficult to obtain.
Blue whale in Loreto photo by Regina Domingo
Therefore, implementing special protection measures to guarantee their feeding, reproduction, and breeding in protected areas like Loreto Bay is essential to contribute to their survival.Loreto Bay is a shallow marine area with volcanic soils, lacking port infrastructure designed to mitigate the underwater noise of large vessels. The presence of large vessels, such as cruise ships, can cause underwater noise in the range between 130 and 170 dB, equivalent to the sound generated by a rock concert to our ears. The sound of these vessels often concentrates in the range of 10 Hz to 1 kHz, which can especially affect communication between cetaceans sensitive to low frequencies, such as the blue whale. That is why the exclusion zones suggested for maritime transit in areas where these species are found can reach radii of up to 3 kilometers.
This noise, generated even when cruise ships are anchored off the coast, interferes with the feeding areas of whales, causing stress, hearing damage, and abandonment of their feeding areas. Loreto is one of the most important feeding sites for blue whales worldwide. Although the channel located between the islands of Danzante and del Carmen has generally been considered the critical protection zone due to nutrient blooms during the spring, the presence of whales is not limited to this subzone. As multiple visitors and tour operators have witnessed in recent years, during the winter, resting, moving, feeding, and breeding behaviors extend to the maritime corridor between the town of Loreto and the islands of Coronados and del Carmen, precisely the area where cruise ships transit and dock.
Therefore, the presence of cruise ships in this Natural Protected Area puts dozens of specimens that arrive in this bay every winter in search of food at serious risk.Therefore, we request that the authorities of the Municipality of Loreto, the Government of the State of Baja California Sur, the Integral Port Administration (API), and the Government of Mexico, through the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), do the following:
Suspend indefinitely the presence of cruise ships and larger vessels in Loreto Bay during the months of December, January, February, March, and April.
Conduct studies of marine mammal distribution in the area throughout the year, as well as the impact of marine traffic on these species.
Implement underwater noise mitigation measures for the protection of marine life established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Review and update the Management Plan of Loreto Bay National Park (PNBL) to take into account the latest research on the effect of marine traffic on marine mammals, their food sources, and marine life in general.
Promote low-impact tourism through alternatives that minimize acoustic disturbance in the ecosystem, as well as regulate mass tourism, establishing limits on the arrival and permanence of cruise ships, prioritizing ships certified for their reduction of underwater noise.
Loreto is a tourist destination recognized around the world for its coastal landscapes, the health of its marine ecosystems, and for the great variety of marine mammals that are found on its coasts. The presence of cruise ships threatens the economic viability of its inhabitants and the species that inhabit its Bay. The blue whale is essential for the health of the oceans, and Loreto is a fundamental actor for the survival of this species. For this reason, it is necessary that above any short-term economic interest, we prioritize practices of care and environmental responsibility that guarantee the future of our common home with marine species.
Call to action: responsible tourism practices
To preserve this sanctuary without compromising its natural beauty or threatening its inhabitants' survival:
Regulate Tourism Activities:
Implement seasonal restrictions on cruise ships during critical migratory periods.
Educate Visitors & Operators:
Raise awareness about cetacean behavior disruption caused by human activities.
Support Local Initiatives & Enforcement Mechanisms:
Encourage community-led projects focused on sustainable marine management while ensuring legal frameworks are enforced effectively.
What you can do?
Stop Cruise Ship Impact in Loreto
To demand stricter regulations, contact key authorities:
Mexico
• President Claudia Sheinbaum | presidencia.gob.mx | @Claudiashein
• SEMARNAT | gob.mx/semarnat | @SEMARNAT_mx
• PROFEPA | gob.mx/profepa | @PROFEPA_Mx
• Governor BCS: Víctor Castro Cosío | bcs.gob.mx | @VictorCastroCos
International Organizations
• IWC | iwc.int | secretariat@iwc.int
• CMS | cms.int | secretariat@cms.int
• IUCN | iucn.org | mail@iucn.org
• CITES | cites.org | info@cites.org
Take Action
✔ Send letters urging stricter regulations.
✔ Mobilize communities to document cruise ship impacts.
✔ Use social media to pressure authorities.
✔ Advocate for policies protecting cetacean habitats.
✔ Promote sustainable tourism over mass tourism.
By adopting these measures now rather than later we can ensure that places like Loreto continue thriving both biologically rich yet responsibly managed into future generations #KeepBajaWild
Protect Loreto’s pristine waters—act now!
#WildlifeOverLikes #NoToCruiseShips #KeepBajaWild
