What the Saguaro LNG Project Means for Marine Wildlife

 

The Gulf of California: A refuge for great whales, mystical whale sharks, giant squid, sea turtles, sea lions—and potentially soon, a superhighway for the massive proposed Saguaro Energía LNG project. As wildlife advocates sound the alarm on this destructive project, it’s well worth a closer look at the place we stand to lose, an area of global significance designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.

A shimmering jewel of marine biodiversity
Nestled between the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico, the turquoise waters of the Gulf of California brilliantly reflect the volcanic islands and coastal desert that surround it. Renowned ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau called the area “the world’s aquarium,” and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has marked it as an Important Marine Mammal Area, attesting to its role as a refuge for more than 30 marine mammal species. It hosts the world’s smallest marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise; elusive, deep-diving beaked whales; and impressive aggregations of sea lions.

The Gulf of California is also home to a remarkable diversity of ocean giants, from whale sharks to giant squid. Here are some of its most awe-inspiring inhabitants.

• A blue whale nursery: A number of these gentle giants—the largest animals ever to have lived on earth—migrate down the west coast of the United States to seek sanctuary in the gulf. The whales feed in the gulf as well as calve and nurture their young in its calm, near-shore waters. Scientists have recorded more than three times the number of mother-calf pairs here than are seen in most other regions.
• A unique population of fin whales: A small, evolutionarily distinct population of fin whales stands out among the crowd due to the species’ unusual year-round residency pattern. Known as fast-moving “greyhounds of the sea,” the gulf’s fin whales find everything they need in one location—a consistently rich food supply and safe nurseries for their young. While they do not leave the region, the whales are more likely to spend the warmer months in one part of the gulf and the cooler months in another as they track seasonal changes in prey hot spots.
• The vaquita’s only home: In the upper reaches of the gulf lies the last refuge of the critically endangered vaquita. On the brink of extinction, only 10 of these small porpoises were estimated to remain in 2023, and any increase in ambient noise caused by the introduction of LNG shipping in the gulf could spell the difference between survival and their final disappearance. The species has been decimated primarily due to being caught in gill nets related to the illegal fishing and trade of totoaba, a fish prized for its swim bladder, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.  
• Other creatures great and small: More than 900 species of fish reside in the gulf’s warm, productive waters, and about 90 of these are unique to this area. The coral reef at Cabo Pulmo is one of the most important in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The intertidal zones are teeming with crabs, sea stars, and mollusks.

The world’s largest fish, the whale shark, gives birth in offshore waters and its young return year after year. Giant Humboldt squid feed and spawn in the spring, their bodies lighting up the depths with dynamic color patterns. Five of the world’s eight species of sea turtles visit the gulf to feed and, in some cases, choose to nest on the beaches of the southern peninsula.

The looming threats from giant ships to ear-splitting disturbances
The Gulf of California faces an existential threat from the Saguaro Energía LNG project. The potential severity of impacts to marine mammals and the broader ecosystem motivated leadership at the IUCN to express its serious concern to political leaders in Mexico in a November 2024 letter. Alarmingly, the Saguaro project would bring a substantial increase in ship traffic, with large LNG tankers the size of three football fields transiting up and down the gulf through critical ocean habitats. With this surge in vessel activity comes various risks to wildlife.

Vessel strikes: A mortal threat, vessel strikes threaten whales across the world’s oceans and, in some cases, are driving some species toward extinction. The risk of a struck whale dying from its injuries increases dramatically when vessels are large and fast-moving, as LNG tankers are. Mothers and their calves spend more time near the water’s surface and are particularly vulnerable. Resident whale populations—like the gulf’s fin whale—would live in constant jeopardy.

Underwater noise: The construction and operation of the LNG facility would be indisputably loud. Marine mammals rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging, and elevated noise levels can disrupt these essential behaviors. Importantly, whale mothers are known to whisper to their calves to help avoid predators, and drowning out those essential contact calls could have devastating consequences for calf survival.

Massive transiting LNG tankers generate harmful levels of noise, and the result could be calamitous to the health of the overall ecosystem. Similar tankers in Canada were expected to produce noise audible to marine mammals more than 40 miles from the vessel. Pile driving is also required to construct the LNG plant at Puerto Libertad and would emit ear-ringing strikes that could disturb marine mammal species more than 16 miles from shore. This degree of noise exposure in what has been a historically quiet area of the gulf would be calamitous for mothers and calves, as well as for resident whales unable to escape exposure.

There is a real danger that whales will abandon calving habitats impacted by the Saguaro Energía LNG project, with the story of the eastern North Pacific gray whale providing a cautionary tale. Relatively small but consistent numbers of whales, including calves, were documented at two historic calving sites in the lower Gulf of California through the 1950s. As maritime traffic and more harmful fishing practices increased in the region, their numbers fell into decline. Gray whales have not returned to those sites since the mid-1980s.

We must protect the Gulf’s biodiversity
The Gulf of California’s rich marine biodiversity is a natural treasure of immeasurable value. The Saguaro Energía LNG project threatens to destroy this ecosystem, putting countless species at risk as well as the vibrant fisheries that have sustained the region’s people for centuries. Stopping Saguaro is essential to protecting this extraordinary ecosystem, benefiting the myriad species that call it home and maintaining its natural heritage for the gulf, for its people and communities today, and for future generations.