This past month, our co-director and lead drone pilot JP visited Ocean Alliance’s historic headquarters for an intensive, hands-on training session. Immersed in their pioneering methods, JP learned the intricate techniques for deploying suction-cup camera tags onto whales using a DJI Matrice 210. This experience was truly a dream come true, and we are incredibly grateful to the Ocean Alliance team for sharing their expertise. Even more exciting, Ocean Alliance will be officially partnering with us to bring these cutting-edge aerial tagging methods directly to the field!

These advanced tagging techniques will be put into action during our upcoming July 2026 expedition out of Ensenada, Mexico. Understanding blue whale distribution in this region is critically important right now due to the presence of an active port with significant cargo ship traffic, the approval of a new port at Punta Colonet, and potential port developments in northern Ensenada. These developments will greatly increase cargo ship traffic, which will increase the risk of whale collisions. By gathering critical data on the temporal and spatial patterns of these whales, we can help authorities establish essential marine regulations and mitigation actions to protect this endangered population. To make this vital fieldwork a reality, we are actively fundraising—please consider supporting our efforts by visiting our FundraiseUp campaign and helping us safeguard the blue whales of Baja.