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Gulf of Mexico · Yucatan · Active Operation

Defending
the Reef

Sea Shepherd ships patrol more than 6,300 square miles of protected reef in the Gulf of Mexico, alongside the Mexican Navy and park authorities.

Donate The Reef
Square miles of protected reef
6,300+
Illegal fish seized in one interception, Feb 2026
720 kg
Ships on patrol since April 2025
2

Sea Shepherd / The Reef

A Reef Worth Defending

Scorpion Reef and Bajos del Norte are remote reef systems in the Gulf of Mexico, and until now they had no one on the water to defend them.

Both reefs are breeding and nursery grounds for grouper, snapper, conch and other species, and important places for nesting sea turtles. Their isolation makes them valuable and easy to exploit: industrial poachers can strip a spawning site long before enforcement arrives.

This is not an expedition. Sea Shepherd ships stay on station year-round, giving the Mexican Navy and park authorities a permanent presence on the reef.

Two protected areasArrecife Alacranes National Park and the Bajos del Norte marine protected area, decreed in 2024, together cover more than 6,300 square miles.

Arrecife Alacranes · National Park

1,289sq mi

Scorpion Reef, a coral atoll about 80 miles off the Yucatan coast and the largest reef in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bajos del Norte · Protected Area

5,035sq mi

A deep-water reef system decreed a marine protected area in 2024, with Sea Shepherd ships helping enforce it.

Sea Shepherd / The Threat

What Threatens It

  1. 01

    Industrial poaching

    Poachers strip spawning sites of queen conch, squid, octopus, grouper, amberjack and snapper. Remoteness is their biggest advantage.

  2. 02

    Ghost nets and lost gear

    Discarded nets and lines smother coral and trap everything from lobsters to green sea turtles long after the boats are gone.

  3. 03

    Pressure on nesting grounds

    Illegal landings, boat traffic and gear disturb sea turtles during nesting and hatching season.

  4. 04

    Illegal access

    Boats without permits anchor on coral and spearfish and line fish inside protected boundaries.

Sea Shepherd / On Station

What Our Crews Do

Sea Shepherd brings the ships and the experience. Mexican authorities bring the power to enforce the law. Together they protect what neither could alone.

Reef patrols

A visible presence across both protected areas that deters illegal access before it starts.

Vessel inspections

Suspicious boats are boarded with Mexican authorities, building the legal case for permanent seizure.

Catch seizures

Illegally caught fish and gear are confiscated from poaching boats working inside protected waters.

Reef dives

Underwater surveys check coral health, document illegal fishing below the surface and remove ghost gear.

Sea turtle monitoring

Crews monitor nesting and hatching on the reef islands with Mexican park authorities.

Drone surveillance

Drones watch the islands and the water beyond the ships, extending enforcement into places it never reached.

The MV Sharkwater

Dive and science platform

MV Sharkwater

Named for filmmaker Rob Stewart, whose documentary exposed the shark fin trade.

Vessel profile
The MV Roger Payne

Patrol and interception

MV Roger Payne

Named for Dr. Roger Payne, whose humpback whale research launched the Save the Whales movement.

Vessel profile

Government partners

Sea Shepherd / Results

Poachers Stopped

Every interception is carried out with Mexican authorities, who detain the boats and seize the catch.

  1. 2025 April

    2ships

    begin a permanent patrol of Scorpion Reef and Bajos del Norte.

  2. 2025 Spring

    600+kg

    of illegal conch meat intercepted in March and April.

  3. 2025 July

    3boats

    detained in a single day, with 93 kg of illegal catch seized.

  4. 2026 FebruaryNow

    720kg

    of illegally caught fish seized from one boat with no permits, held for permanent seizure. In March, three conch poachers were detained.

6,300+square miles protected

2ships on patrol

With SEMAR, CONANP and CONAPESCA

Sea Shepherd / Gallery

From the Reef

Sea Shepherd / Latest

News From the Reef

All news

Sea Shepherd / Direct Action Crew

Keep the Crew on the Reef

Monthly supporters fund the fuel, the dives and the patrols that keep our crews on station at Scorpion Reef. A permanent operation needs permanent funding.

"Because of you, we're out here. Diving, documenting and stopping harm before it spreads."

Sea Shepherd crew · Scorpion Reef

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