WHALES, THEY KNOW MORE THAN WE DO
- Napoleón Fillat
- May 4
- 3 min read
By Lic. Napoleón Fillat Ordóñez
Coordinator on Environmental Legislation and Protected Natural Areas
Privileged on the eastern coast of the Baja California peninsula, facing the Sea of Cortez, lies Bahía de Loreto National Park - one of the most beautiful places in Mexico, a natural jewel known to few, where an extraordinary amount of biodiversity resides and passes through.
Here, the reddish sierras of desert fragments meet crystal-clear blue waters, and hundreds of species greet you by sea and by land. It is no coincidence that this place is known as the sanctuary of the blue whale, or that it sits within the area Jacques Cousteau called "the world's aquarium."
In 1996, it was decreed Bahía de Loreto National Park to provide it with the greatest possible protection, both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This has allowed the species inhabiting these 206,580 hectares - like the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) - to have a safe place to carry out migrations of up to 10,000 km (round trip) to feed on krill in Mexican waters.
On April 10 of this year, a decree signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, enabling Loreto as a deep-water and cabotage port, placing this ecosystem at imminent risk. Such a measure will open the door to installing larger docks, receiving large-capacity vessels, generating greater volumes of tourism and noise, and increasing the probability of collisions. Among the most severe consequences is water pollution - which would almost certainly cause irreversible damage - and the direct impact on this essential refuge for the blue whale, as well as for the more than a thousand marine and coastal species that cohabit this region.
When I say that whales know more than we do, I am referring to the millions of years of evolution, exploration, resilience, and generations that have shaped their migratory routes, their optimal diets, the threats they face, and their primary sites for resting, reproduction, and calving - as they did when they chose this Mexican jewel as their destination.
We humans, even with the best technologies, could never achieve the kind of precision and perfection whales have. That is why nature's indicators should be considered by default when making decisions of high environmental impact, like this decree. In other words, if the blue whale, with her millennial wisdom, chose this place, it is for a reason - and that reason deserves our respect and our protection.
Across administrations, decisions have been made that cannot please everyone, regardless of the party in power. But choosing measures that have not been informed by the knowledge and study of the people immersed in our protected natural areas is something that should hurt us all. Because in the end, we as individuals are passing through, but we leave a deep mark on many generations of a species that cannot defend itself.
I hope, on behalf of every lover of the sea, that the damage of a decree of this nature will be reconsidered - without politicizing it, and without prioritizing the economic interests of any government administration. It is essential to respect the reasons why the blue whale chose this place as her favored sanctuary in the world, and to listen to the voices of the communities who inhabit, work in, or have studied this World Heritage site for years.
It is never too late to keep an animal species from suffering because of a human's signature.
What can I do?
A citizen-led petition on Change.org —"Protect the Blue Whale: No More Cruise Ships in Loreto"— is asking authorities to reconsider the decree and protect the blue whale's sanctuary during the season when these animals arrive to feed, rest, and raise their calves.
If you share the concern, your signature can be part of the collective pressure.
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