Aaaaaand we’re off! As I had hoped, it looks like we are having a baby boom this year, as we did in 2015. This means that the mother whales who came here in 2015 to have returned to calve in the same place. …
In 2017, I got to hire local people from the village, not only to run the boat, spot whales, and manage the hydrophone, but also to use the DSLR camera and to enter, correct, and analyze data. Having been at it for four years now, Arturo Mellín, my principle captain, was a total pro at…
In 2016, following the directives of the village, I resolved to strengthen our education programs and begin connecting with communities in the extended area. Barra de Potosí is not an isolated place. The bay in front of the village is used by fishermen and recreationists from the twin cities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo to the north and…
2014, the first year of our humpback whale research effort in Southwest Pacific México, was a big success. We sent the first 24 fluke (whale tail) shots to our colleagues at Cascadia Research Collective, the holders of a 20,000-strong fluke catalog, and they were able to match ours to pictures of the same whale flukes…
National Geographic Explorer Katherina Audley of the Whales of Guerrero Research Project continues her report of how the folk of Barra de Potosí, a tiny fishing village located in Southwest Pacific Mexico, discovered and became entranced with the whales and dolphins off their coast. She explains the techniques she and her colleagues used to hook the interest of…
Barra de Potosí is a tiny fishing village located in Southwest Pacific Mexico. Tucked between a mangrove and salt flat-lined lagoon and a 12-mile golden sand beach, Barra used to be the fishiest place I knew. When I first arrived 18 years ago, tiny fish would thwack my legs in the surf, every fourth wave…