March 4, 2026 — Three pairs of binoculars poke out between baseball caps and balaclavas in the middle of the Gulf of California.
A trio of Mexican scientists are looking toward the watery blue horizon for clues. Sperm whales haven’t been spotted here for years, and fin whales and dolphins aren’t as plentiful. Those that do turn up are more likely to appear malnourished or ill.
This vital ecosystem is struggling, scientists say, if Earth’s largest living creatures are any indication.
“Marine mammals, and specifically cetaceans, are considered the sentinels of health of the marine ecosystem,” said Hector Pérez Puig. He studies cetaceans, the broad category that includes whales and dolphins, at the Prescott College Kino Bay Center in Bahía de Kino on the Sonoran coast.