By Pritam Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sea Shepherd’s work in Mexico has grown into something far larger than the campaigns we began years ago. What began as emergency operations to remove illegal fishing gear, decimating wildlife in the region, has become a permanent commitment to these waters.
Our ships now maintain a continuous presence in the Upper Gulf of California, defending the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, and we are bringing that same long-term approach to Yucatán to protect one of the largest reef systems on the continent. That shift to a permanent presence changed everything. It expanded protection for wildlife and reshaped the way people in these regions connect with the ocean.
A Growing Community Around the Mission
Operating in the region year round allows Sea Shepherd to build a skilled crew of Mexican mariners, engineers, biologists, and other professionals who work alongside our international volunteers. Their local knowledge deepens the mission. Working side by side has created a constant exchange of skills and experience – an ongoing process rooted in our shared commitment to protect marine wildlife in the region.
Sea Shepherd’s continuous presence has brought us into close collaboration with an exceptional community of Mexican storytellers: filmmakers, editors, drone pilots, and photographers. Their work captures the mission with authenticity and a perspective rooted in the region. The result is real opportunity: mariners and professionals building careers, earning maritime hours, and gaining the experience that supports meaningful advancement – an impact that passing through could never accomplish.
For the first time, Sea Shepherd’s Executive Director is a Mexican citizen based in Mexico. Julian Escutia brings experience, diplomacy, and a deep understanding of the region. His leadership reflects the direction of this organization: rooted, long term, and built in partnership with the people who share these waters.
Volunteers from around the world continue to join our missions in Mexico. For the local team, working shoulder to shoulder with crew from America, Europe, and beyond builds friendships that stretch across oceans and opens doors that simply would not exist without this work.
Conservation With Local Partners
This community now extends far beyond our own decks. We work closely with the Navy, local agencies and non-profits, rescue teams, vaquita experts, and scientists whose knowledge strengthens every campaign. Together, they shape a broader effort to restore balance to these waters.
Through this shared work, we have watched Navy personnel develop a deeper connection to the wildlife they help protect. That growth comes from time on the water and seeing firsthand what is at stake.
When children see local men and women operating drones, removing nets, or carrying out rescues, conservation becomes real. It becomes part of the future they imagine for themselves.
As our operations evolved, so did the way illegal nets are handled in the region. Sea Shepherd ended the practice of burning this gear by bringing in the shredder and establishing the first step in a system to recycle and repurpose these nets for community use.
People and Wildlife Shaped By Each Other
Every net removed, every sea lion freed, every hour on patrol is carried out by people whose hard work shapes this mission, and who are shaped by it in return. What we are building in Mexico is not only protection for wildlife. It is training, opportunity, and a shared respect for the ocean that grows stronger every year.
That same long-term ethos has arrived in the Yucatán with our new work at Scorpion Reef. Sea Shepherd is proud to be part of this impact, and we will continue to remain in these waters every day, working with the communities who live here.
