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Dear John,
I’m Laura Sánchez. I’m a marine biologist from Barcelona, Spain. I’m currently deployed with Sea Shepherd at Alacranes Reef, 80 miles north of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Alacranes (Scorpion) reef is still teeming with life, but facing growing pressure.
This month, our crew detected boats anchoring directly on coral. We found piles of discarded queen conch snail remains, taken illegally and dumped beneath the surface. And we intercepted a group of spearfishers operating inside the no-take zone.
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Working in partnership with the Mexican Government, our crew members aboard the MV Sharkwater and MV Roger Payne responded immediately. The illegal catch was seized, and authorities took action on the water and back on shore.
Our divers installed navigation buoys to prevent boats from damaging the coral near Isla Perez on Alacranes Reef. We cleared ghost fishing lines wrapped around coral heads, dangerous, abandoned gear that keeps killing long after it’s left behind. And just after sunrise, we marked sea turtle nests before tides, visitors, or predators could interfere.
And then there’s the Reef itself.
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When I enter the water here, it feels like another world. Vibrant, ancient, and perfectly tuned. Turtles move through the reef channels. Snappers turn in unison. Sharks patrol the edges in silence. But ecosystems like this can quickly unravel when disturbed.
I’ve seen what happens when no one’s out here. For nearly a decade, I worked with Sea Shepherd crews and the Mexican Government to protect the vaquita porpoise. The pattern is always the same: when we’re not present, harm spreads fast. But when we are, it stops. In the Vaquita Refuge, that presence helped drive illegal fishing out of the most sensitive area almost entirely.
Thank you for making this work possible. Your support keeps our ships at sea and helps protect places like Alacranes Reef, where presence truly makes a difference.
For the Oceans,
Laura Sánchez, Marine Biologist
on behalf of Sea Shepherd captains and crew members
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