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OPERATION JAIRO MORA / 2025

Jairo Mora Campaign

The Jairo Mora Campaign was created in honor of Jairo Mora Sandoval, who lost his life protecting leatherback turtles in Limón, Costa Rica. His legacy inspires us to continue the fight for the conservation of the five species of sea turtles that nest on our coasts, all of which are critically endangered.

Today, sea turtles face multiple threats:

  • Illegal hunting for meat, especially on the Caribbean coast.
  • Clandestine sale of turtle eggs in bars and restaurants.
  • Bycatch and ghost nets that trap them at sea.

Our work goes far beyond returning turtles to the ocean. The greatest challenge is to raise awareness: helping people understand that wildlife and marine sanctuaries must be protected as a national treasure.

That is why we work together with coastal communities and other organizations to promote sustainable alternatives, environmental education, and respect for one of the oldest creatures on the planet.

In Costa Rica, turtle nesting takes place almost every month of the year. Each season brings a new opportunity to protect, educate, and transform the relationship between people and the ocean.

As part of this mission, we have developed a strong educational program for elementary school students. By 2026, our focus will expand to include secondary schools and to collect valuable scientific data on these wonderful species.

Our goal is clear: to support, unite, and raise social awareness so that sea turtles can have a future in Costa Rica and around the world.

We are driven by passion, inspired by conservation, and determined to defend marine sanctuaries.

You can donate to our campaign at the following link: https://paulwatsonfoundation.donorsupport.co/page/CostaRica

https://www.facebook.com/CPWFCostaRica

https://www.instagram.com/CPWFCostaRica

https://www.youtube.com/@FundacionPaulWatsonCostaRica

OPERATION

OPERATION COVE SIEGE / 2025

OPERATION COVE SIEGE

For six months of every year, Taiji becomes a place of suffering. Entire pods of dolphins, from Risso’s dolphins to melon-headed whales are hunted down. Some are butchered for meat, others are sold into captivity, condemned to a lifetime in tanks. This is not tradition. It is profit dressed up as culture and it continues because the world looks away.

The Horrors

At first light, a fleet of boats leaves Taiji harbor with one mission: to track, trap, and kill free dolphins. Day after day they scour the ocean, stripping it of life and freedom.

The cruelty is hidden behind closed waters, but it is systematic, and it is graded like a scoreboard:

  • Blue Cove : hunters return with nothing.
  • Green Cove : dolphins are captured alive and sold into captivity.
  • Black Cove : dolphins are imprisoned overnight, their fate decided by the highest bid the next morning.
  • Red Cove : dolphins are slaughtered in the hundreds, often entire families wiped out in a single day.

This isn’t fishing, it is the commodification of freedom itself. If we continue to rob the ocean as if it were a limitless bank, the account will one day be empty.

Kunito

At 3:30am every morning, 59-year-old Kunito rises, gets on his bicycle, and makes his way to the cove. He does this knowing his town despises him. “They hate me,” he admits. Still, he keeps going.

At 26, Kunito suffered a heart attack. Despite ongoing medical risks, he has devoted his life to exposing what happens in Taiji. His presence is an act of defiance. His camera, his only weapon. He knows he could be arrested, yet he stands his ground because if he doesn’t, no one will.

Kunito is the guardian of the cove. He risks his health, his reputation, and his freedom so the world can no longer claim ignorance.

What You Can Do

OPERATION

GULF GUARDIANS / 2025

Rice’s Whale on the Brink of Extinction : 50 Left

The Rice’s whale, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, is in urgent peril, with only 50 whales left. They face constant threats to their survival.

Oil and gas traffic: The Gulf of Mexico is a high-intensity industrial zone, home to thousands of platforms and shipping routes. Vessel traffic and seismic blasting flood the whale’s habitat with harmful noise, disorientation, and collision risk.

Ship strikes: Already fatal in some instances, these collisions are especially dangerous when whales rest at the surface at night.

Rollback of protections: In February 2025, the Trump Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rescinded precautionary measures, such as speed limits and on-deck spotters, that would protect this critically endangered species.

Time Is Running Out!

The government must :

  • Reinstate and enforce precautionary measures, like vessel speed limits, observer requirements, and mandatory distance buffers.
  • Stop oil and gas expansion in core and expanded habitat areas.
  • Designate critical habitat immediately, and implement enforcement to prevent degradation.

With so few Rice’s whales left, any policy rollbacks or delays can have irreversible consequences. How can we possibly let a whale species become EXTINCT!

OPERATION

HONU HUI ITALY / 2025

The Honu Hui Campaign was created to protect and promote one of the oldest and most fascinating creatures of our seas: the Caretta caretta sea turtle. Although it is the most common species in the Mediterranean, it is sadly now classified as endangered.

In 2025, several turtles were found dead due to the presence of ghost nets along the coastline — a silent but devastating threat that endangers countless marine species.

It is estimated that there are around 8,000 nesting females in the Mediterranean. In Italy, around 300 nests were monitored in 2023, a number confirmed again in 2024. For 2025, an increase in nest sightings is expected, thanks in part to the tireless efforts of organizations like the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, which is active on multiple fronts in marine conservation.

The first nests of 2025 were found in the warmer regions of Sicily and Campania, with Puglia, Lazio, and Tuscany following the same trend, confirming the nationwide relevance of this mission.

A Difficult Journey

Italian beaches, unfortunately, are heavily populated with beach resorts, creating significant obstacles for sea turtles. During the critical nesting phase, females face artificial barriers such as sunbeds, walkways, and fences.

And when hatchlings emerge, their first challenge is orientation: city lights, nightclub music, and urban noise disorient them, often leading them away from the sea — a journey many do not survive.

Dawn Watchers

Every morning before sunrise, volunteers from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation patrol the beaches in search of tracks left by turtles during the night. It’s a race against time: these fragile traces can quickly be erased by beach-cleaning tractors preparing the sand for the day ahead.

When a track is found, volunteers locate the exact nesting site, record its GPS coordinates, secure the area, and promptly notify the relevant authorities, such as the Coast Guard and marine biology centers.

Guardians of the Nests

From that moment, the nest is monitored daily. Volunteers ensure it remains safe from disturbances, vandalism, and natural threats. When exceptional events like storms or heavy rains put the nest at risk, experts from institutions such as the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station and the LIFE TURTLE NEST project intervene with conservation measures, if necessary.

Trained Volunteers, Hands-On Experience

Since 2023, the Italian volunteers of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation have been active mainly in Campania, Sicily, and Puglia. These are trained, passionate individuals who gain practical field experience and regularly participate in training courses, ensuring that every action is effective, respectful, and aligned with the latest scientific standards.

Dawn as an Ally

Monitoring activities take place in the early morning, when the beach is still quiet and untouched. It is in that fleeting moment — between darkness and light, between silence and the awakening of life — that the opportunity arises to protect a new generation of sea turtles.

Follow Our Journey