Michoacán humpback whale watching season, Digi Mart USA News (Michoacán, Mexico): Michoacán has reached a historic milestone in conservation and ecotourism. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has formally added the Michoacán coastline to its official list of entities authorized for sustainable whale watching, following publication of the corresponding agreement in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), according to Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla.
The resolution paves the way for the first official whale-watching season, which will run from December 15, 2026 to March 20, 2027. The designated zone covers a marine polygon of 233 square nautical miles, with a coastal extent of 96 miles, in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas.
It spans the coastal strip from Playa Jardín to Barra de Nexpa.
The governor said the federal accreditation is based on rigorous scientific studies in the region. Biological data confirm the consistent presence of the species in local waters.
During monitoring carried out between January and March 2026, technical teams recorded 31 sightings with a total of 71 individuals documented. These figures add to 2024 records, when 62 sightings and 123 humpback whales were counted transiting the area.
To protect marine wildlife and promote responsible tourism, nautical tourism services will be subject to strict compliance with the NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010 standard. This regulatory framework sets minimum approach distances to the animals, maximum navigation times, the limit on simultaneous vessels in the area, and mandatory environmental protection protocols.
Ahead of the season’s start, captains and nautical service providers in the region received extensive theoretical and practical training. Instruction was delivered jointly by specialists from the organization GroBios A.C.
and the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH), concluding with the handover of the first 10 official authorization pennants issued by Semarnat. With this, Michoacán is preparing to welcome domestic and international tourists under the highest sustainability standards.
