Forty environmental and community organizations have formally rejected a presidential decree that would allow cruise ships to dock at the Port of Loreto, arguing the move threatens blue whale habitat in one of Mexico’s most ecologically sensitive marine areas. The coalition, organized under the “Whale or Gas?” alliance, is demanding that President Claudia Sheinbaum reverse the decision, which would also convert Loreto from a coastal port to a deep-water port capable of receiving mega-cruise vessels.
Loreto Cruise Ship Decree Contradicts UNESCO and National Park Protections
Loreto Bay National Park was established in 1996, protecting roughly 2,065 square kilometers of marine and island ecosystems in the Gulf of California. In 2005, UNESCO designated the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California as a World Heritage Site. That designation specifically covers Loreto Bay and its surrounding waters. The park’s management plan, the legal document governing permitted activities within its boundaries, explicitly identifies mega-cruise ships as a threat to blue whales and the broader marine ecosystem.
Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, use the waters around Loreto as a critical feeding and calving ground. They arrive between January and March each year, drawn by rich concentrations of krill in the Gulf’s deep channels. The species is classified as endangered under Mexican law and by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The “Whale or Gas?” alliance formed roughly two years ago to fight proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the Gulf of California. That campaign centered on the same concern: that industrial maritime activity would harm whale populations through noise pollution, ship strikes, and habitat degradation. The coalition now includes groups like Eco Alianza Loreto A.C. and spans 40 organizations across Baja California Sur. Their statement called the cruise ship decree “ill-advised” and unconstitutional, given its conflict with existing protected area law.
The alliance’s concerns are not hypothetical. During the 2024-2025 breeding season, running from December through April, 92 whale strandings were recorded across Baja California Sur. NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. agency that tracks marine mammal populations in the Pacific, compiled the data. Francisco Javier Gómez Díaz, director of the Whale Museum in La Paz and a member of the BCS Stranding Network, said many of the whales likely died at sea before washing ashore. But researchers also documented a sharp decline in sightings, fewer births, and more whales arriving in visibly poor physical condition.
Lorena Viloria Gomorra, a researcher with Mexico’s Marine Mammal Research and Monitoring Program (PRIMMA), said the evidence points to whales arriving malnourished. “What we have seen leads us to believe that they arrived malnourished, which made them much more vulnerable and prone to stranding,” she said. Scientists attribute the weakened condition to declining food sources in the Arctic, driven by sea ice loss and changing water temperatures. Adding industrial-scale ship traffic to already stressed whale populations, the coalition argues, could compound an existing crisis.
Cruise Traffic Would Reshape Loreto’s Small-Scale Tourism Economy
Converting Loreto to a deep-water port represents a fundamental shift in the town’s character and economy. Loreto has roughly 21,000 residents and currently operates as a small-scale tourism destination. Its economy depends on whale watching, sport fishing, kayaking, and eco-tourism, activities that rely on the health of Loreto Bay’s marine environment. The town has one commercial airport with limited service and no existing infrastructure for large cruise vessels.
The coalition warned that cruise operations would displace these independent local businesses. Mega-cruise ships typically carry 3,000 to 6,000 passengers who spend most of their money onboard. Port communities often see limited economic benefit while absorbing environmental costs. The alliance also raised the issue of ballast water, which ships take on in one port and discharge in another. This practice can introduce invasive species that disrupt local marine ecosystems.
Noise pollution is another central concern. Large cruise ships generate low-frequency sound that travels long distances underwater. Blue whales communicate using some of the lowest-frequency calls in the animal kingdom, typically between 10 and 40 hertz. Ship noise in the same frequency range can mask whale calls, disrupt feeding, and alter migration patterns. The coalition’s statement compared cruise ships in size to LNG carriers, the same class of vessel they have spent two years fighting to keep out of the Gulf.
Loreto’s whale-watching season generates significant revenue for local operators between January and March. Tour boats operate under strict permits from CONANP, Mexico’s national natural protected areas commission, which limits approach distances and group sizes to minimize disturbance to whales. The presence of cruise ships in the same waters would introduce a variable that existing regulations were not designed to manage.
The 40 organizations have called on the federal government to reverse the decree. No timeline for implementation of the port conversion has been announced publicly. The original reporting was published by Grupo Animal on May 9.