Protecting
Blue
Corridors
Protecting
31
Years of Data
1437
Satellite Tags
3305180
KM of Tracks Analyzed
>50
Collaborators
Blue Corridors: Lifelines for Whales and the Planet
Whales and dolphins rely on critical ocean habitats – areas where they feed, mate, give birth, nurse young, socialize, and migrate – for their survival. These areas are connected by migratory pathways known as blue corridors, essential to their life cycle. Safe passage along these corridors is crucial for maintaining healthy populations and ensuring whales can thrive across entire ocean basins.
Protecting Blue Corridors brings together 30 years of satellite tracking and scientific data to visualize key ocean habitats and migratory networks. This initiative supports global and regional conservation efforts, provides advice to mitigate threats, and highlights science-based solutions for policymakers. Strengthening ecological connectivity in our oceans benefits not only whales but marine biodiversity—and people—worldwide.
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We are a global collaboration of experts in marine mammal science, conservation, policy, and technology, working together to map whale movements, identify emerging threats, and co-design effective solutions. Protecting Blue Corridors is just the beginning of visualizing whale and dolphin movement across the globe, and there's still so much work to be done. By continuing to connect knowledge across disciplines and borders, we aim to build on this foundation together.
- WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
- Oregon St University & Center for Coastal Studies, USA
- University of Southampton
- University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
- University of Washington & MarEcoTel USA
- University of Azores, Portugal
- Tethys Research Institute, Italy
- GLOBICE Réunion
- Whale Unit
- University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
- Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas
- Marine Ecology & Telemetry Research
- University of Hamburg, Germany
- UiT: The Arctic University of Norway
- Norweigan Polar Institute
- University of St Andrews
- Wildlife Conservation Society
- The University of Western Australia
- Macquarie University, Australia
- Tohora Voyages
- African Aquatic Conservation Fund
- Cetamada
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at UC Davis
- NeuroPSI (Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience)
- Environment Society of Oman
- Future Seas Global SEC
- Balena
- Conicet
- Comahue, Argentina
- Instituto Aqualie
- Fisheries RSA
- Duke University, USA
- MEGAPTERA, France
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, France
- Fundación Macuáticos, Colombia
- French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), New Caledonia
- Operation Cetaces, New Caledonia
- Universidad Valparaíso, Chile
- IUCN SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
- Key Biodiversity Areas
- ODE
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- 01.
Protecting Whales Has Benefits for Nature and People
Healthy whale populations benefit both nature and people. Growing scientific evidence shows they have a key role in ocean productivity and carbon sequestration. Along their migration routes, whales fertilize ecosystems, boosting phytoplankton production. Economically, whales fuel a thriving global whale-watching industry and benefit marine biodiversity. Culturally, they hold deep significance for many Indigenous and coastal Communities
© Darren Jew
- 02.
Threats to Whales Have Evolved Impacting Population Recovery
In countless areas around the globe, cetaceans are under threat from human activities. An estimated 300,000 cetaceans are killed each year as a result of fisheries bycatch, while populations are impacted from increasing ship traffic, underwater noise, pollution and loss of important habitats including as a result of climate change. These threats often occur in concert and overlap with whales’ critical habitats and migration routes, creating a hazardous and at times fatal obstacle course to navigate.
© naturepl.com / Michael Wu / WWF
- 03.
Our Conservation Approach Must Evolve Too
Seven of the world’s 14 great whale species remain classified as Endangered or Vulnerable despite decades of protection following the commercial whaling moratorium. To reverse this trend, conservation must go further: connecting science, policy, and management across ocean basins. Only through bold, collaborative action can we ensure whales have safe passage across their entire range.
© sbedaux / Shutterstock
- 04.
Science-Based Solutions Can Make a Difference
Protecting whale migration corridors requires a holistic approach from global to local scales. Networks of marine protected areas, sustainable ocean planning, innovative fishing technologies, and ambitious policies all contribute to effective conservation. We must view the ocean as one interconnected system, requiring collaboration among local communities, scientists, governments, civil society, and international bodies like the International Whaling Commission, International Maritime Organization, and countries implementing the UN High Seas Treaty. With only 8% of the ocean currently protected, achieving the 30x30 goal—conserving 30% by 2030—is vital for securing the future of whales and overall ocean health.
© Duke University Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing, taken under NOAA permit.
Map Their Journeys, Protect Their Future
- View
moreExplore by Whale Species
View satellite tracks, migration corridors and range maps for nine critical whale species.
- View
moreNavigate Threats & Risks
View human activities impacting whales within their critical habitats and along their migration corridors.
- View
moreExamine Priorities & Protections
Overlay marine conservation priorities and current protected areas for informed decision making.
- View
moreDive into Conservation
Examine emerging blue corridors, the challenges they face, and opportunities for conservation solutions.
Latest News
Bringing whale superhighways to life - a new digital platform a game-changer for ocean conservation
A coalition of leading scientists, civil society, governments, tech innovators and WWF have launched BlueCorridors.org
Diminishing sea ice threatens delicate Antarctic ecosystem and raises alarms
Surrounded by the Southern Ocean lies the continent of Antarctica. This part of the world consists of ice, penguins, seals, and migrating whales. This continent, where few ever travel, is a desert with two seasons summer and winter.
For the first time, researchers track the full migration cycle of an Australian southern right whale
Migration is a tricky endeavour. There are numerous obstacles, not to mention many kilometres to travel. When you think of migration, you may think of birds first.
