To ensure whale watching adventures are sustainable and adequate, on Nov. 21st and 22nd close to 40 tour operators and recreational fishermen from Puerto Peñasco and Puerto Lobos attended a training course offered by biologists from CONANP and from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC).
The course, which was theoretical and practical, focused on norms, protection protocols, and proper care when approaching whales. In addition, the training encompassed basic information about whale characteristics, species types, habits, protection, and reproduction. The course also reviewed rules tourists have to follow, among other topics related to the proper practice of whale watching.
The training course was led by biologist Lorena Vindiola from UABC, personnel from CONANP of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Reserve, as well as from the flora and fauna protection area of the Islas del Golfo de California in Sonora.
“It is important that people are trained,” explained Maria Jesus Martinez from the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas of the Upper Gulf of California Reserve and Colorado River Delta, “so that the animal is not harmed and does not suffer from stress, and so providers can offer quality services to clients while ensuring this is a sustainable tourist attraction.”
Puerto Peñasco is the only port in the state to have obtained whale watching certification from SEMARNAT under Official Mexican Law, which establishes regulations for whale watching from January 1 to April 30.
Whale watching is a natural spectacle that attracts thousands of tourists from the US, Mexico, and other parts of the world, ready with camera in hand to capture images of whales while their journey along our coastlines.