Frontlines Update · September 2026
By Paul Talavera, Scientist aboard the M/V Sharkwater
This September, our crew helped release turtle hatchlings at Scorpion Reef. I am still thinking about those tiny animals making their way into the sea.
Scorpion Reef · Hatchling Release
My time aboard the Sharkwater, off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, has been among the most meaningful of my life. From seabirds on the islands to rays and coral beneath the surface, this reef is extraordinary. Working alongside Mexican authorities to defend it from poaching gives every day a sense of purpose.
Paul Talavera, scientist aboard the M/V Sharkwater · Photo: Sofia Castillo / Sea Shepherd
Those hatchlings were a beautiful reminder of who all that work is for.
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
A Permanent Presence on the Reef
At Scorpion Reef and nearby Bajos del Norte, Sea Shepherd is putting a new model of marine conservation into practice: permanent presence. Rather than arriving for a short expedition, we are building an ongoing operation combining patrols, scientific monitoring, and support for Mexican authorities. It builds on partnerships developed through years of work in the Vaquita Refuge.
Sea Shepherd provides vessels, trained crews, and surveillance. Radar and drones help identify suspicious activity and document illegal fishing, while Mexican authorities carry out enforcement. Together, we help turn the protections established for these waters into action.
Scorpion Reef · Patrols and Monitoring
As a scientist aboard the Sharkwater, my role is to help understand the ecosystem we are here to defend. Our team documents sea turtles, monitors coral health, and surveys queen conch populations. Returning to the same places lets us build on earlier observations, identify changes, and develop a clearer picture of the reef over time.
That continuity connects the scientific work to the wider mission. The ship supporting patrols also supports wildlife monitoring and opportunities to help animals, with people and equipment already in the field. A hatchling release is one moment within a much longer commitment to these waters.
The M/V Sharkwater on the water at sunset · Photo: Paula Mosa / Sea Shepherd
For me, that is what makes this model so important: conservation becomes a daily responsibility, not just an occasional visit.
Adopt an Animal
Bring That Connection Home
Our new Adopt an Animal program celebrates the wildlife we work to defend and offers a way to share in that connection.
We’ve brought together photographs and stories of individual animals, alongside species ambassadors representing the wider wildlife Sea Shepherd protects. Choose a whale, shark, turtle, sea lion, or another marine animal for yourself or someone you love. Each symbolic adoption supports Sea Shepherd’s conservation work and includes a personalized certificate, available digitally or by mail.
Adopt an Animal · The Animals We Protect
An adoption makes a meaningful birthday or holiday gift, a surprise for a child or grandchild, or a way to celebrate your own connection to the ocean. Beyond something to frame, I hope it starts a conversation about the animal, its habitat, and the work needed to give it a future.
Out here, we see those connections every day. Through adoption, we hope to share them with the people who make our presence possible.
Your support helps keep our ships operating and our crews in the field. Thank you for helping us stay here, doing the daily work these extraordinary places need.
Bring a little of the ocean home. Symbolically adopt an animal today.
