A proposed $30 billion gas export terminal, Saguaro Energía LNG, poses a significant threat to cetaceans in the Gulf of California. If built, it would route massive LNG tankers through the Midriff Islands, a critical habitat for blue, fin, and Bryde’s whales. This would bring significant risk of ship strikes and underwater noise pollution.

In response, we are launching an expedition in collaboration with the PRIMMA Lab at UABCS to conduct whale population surveys near the proposed site. This data will be essential for creating an environmental impact assessment to challenge the project’s development.

Goals

1. Gather population data on cetaceans in the Northern Gulf

2. Build a data-supported environmental impact assessment challenging the construction of the LNG plant

Objectives

1.Enable a month-long expedition to survey the populations that would be most impacted by the construction of the plant.

2. Contribute to PRIMMA’s long-term datasets tracking cetacean populations in the Gulf. Gather photos, biopsies, and water samples to inform population dynamics, pollutant exposure, dietary preferences.