Pacific Cetacean Group

07/23/2026

A rare Monterey Bay encounter was caught on camera as orcas hunted dolphins, with one whale leaping an estimated 15 feet out of the water.

07/22/2026

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/bowhead-whale-facts

Cool videos and nice overview of the amazing Bowhead Whales!!!

Meet the ice-breaking ocean giant who's baffled scientists and lives up to 200 years old, with our species guide

07/17/2026

Gray whales are experiencing a potentially catastrophic population decline, a sharp reversal from what had been considered a conservation success. As of July 6, 2026, there were 145 gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) stranding deaths in the Pacific, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admi...

07/13/2026

Learn more about how whales die and how their bodies can provide nutrients to surrounding marine life for up to a century.

07/13/2026

Aboard the M/V Seahorse, Sea Shepherd and its partners trained vaquita observers, building capacity to protect the world's rarest porpoise.

06/25/2026

A tiny porpoise is sending a massive warning signal.

The vaquita lives only in one place on Earth: the Upper Gulf of California, in the Sea of Cortez. There are only about 10 left.

But this is not just about one species disappearing. The Sea of Cortez is one of the most important marine regions on the planet - home to extraordinary biodiversity, including 39% of the world’s marine mammal species and about one-third of the world’s cetacean species.

When the vaquita dies in illegal gillnets, it is not “nature taking its course.”
It is a human-made crisis.

And when a species this rare, this gentle, this ancient, is pushed to the edge, the ocean is telling us something:

The system is under stress.
The nets are not just catching vaquitas.
They are catching the future.

Protecting the vaquita means protecting the Sea of Cortez.
Protecting the Sea of Cortez means protecting fisheries, coastal communities, biodiversity, climate resilience, and the health of the wider ocean.

The heartbreaking part? The vaquita is not doomed if the killing stops. Scientists say recovery is still possible if gillnet deaths are halted.

So no, this is not hopeless.
It is urgent.

Remove illegal gillnets.
Enforce protected waters.
Support vaquita-safe fishing.
Protect the vaquita. Protect the ocean. Protect ourselves.
🐬🌊

06/23/2026

Magical!!!

Wildlife photographer Richard Sidey shares a look at a group of curious humpback whales that approached his small boat of researchers in Antarctica.

06/22/2026

SAVE THE DATE FOR INTERNATIONAL SAVE THE VAQUITA DAY 2026!!!

10 October 2026

Every year, we and our conservation partners dedicate one day of the year to draw people’s attention to the plight of the vaquita, International Save the Vaquita (ISTV) Day. This year, the event will occur on Saturday, 10 October. As in the past, it will feature a half-day live-streamed event (available for viewing on YouTube and several other platforms), as well as several in-person booths and tables at venues in California and Oregon.

The focus of all these activities will be to increase public awareness, education, and support for the vaquita and its conservation. This year, as the species struggles to survive among the web of illegal gillnets that kill them in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, we feel a renewed sense of hope. The estimates of the size of the vaquita population, although frighteningly small (about 10-15), appear to have remained relatively stable over the past several years. This suggests that their numbers may no longer be declining. The remaining vaquitas are survivors, and we want to give them the best possible chance to rebuild their species’ numbers. To do so, they need your support, and also for the several things to happen:

1) The Mexican Government to stop the illegal fishing that is killing them,
2) The Chinese Government to clamp down on the illegal import of totoaba swim bladders that fuel the illegal fishing, and
3) The US Government to redouble its efforts to stop the smuggling of totoaba bladders from Mexico to China, through US channels.

Please join us on Saturday, 10 October, as we present the latest findings on the status of the vaquita population, and hear from experts who are working to save the species. The live-streamed event will have a panel discussion at the end, which will provide a chance for viewers to ask questions and have them answered by vaquita scientists and conservation leaders. And be sure to tell all your friends and family members about the vaquita, and this year’s ISTV Day event, so that we can all work together to get the word out to more people! Check back on our website < https://vivavaquita.org/save-the-vaquita-day/ > regularly to get updates on the plans and the latest schedule of events.

Thank you all for your concern about the vaquita and for doing your part to help save Mexico’s lovely little porpoise from the tragedy of extinction!

International Save the Vaquita Day is intended to be an annual event similar to Earth Day, but with a specific focus on raising awareness and appreciation of the world's most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Events around the globe direct the attention of people to the plight....