Seas4life has a purpose beyond travel, which is to support and raise awareness for outreach programmes. In Kenya we annually welcome the magnificent humpback whale, a marine mammal that migrates to the shores of east Africa from the waters of the Southern Ocean. We know some about the timing of their migration and the rhythms of the whale season in Kenya, but still need to join all the dots that define their migration routes, establish the population size and find solutions for the threats they and their habitats face in the Western Indian Ocean. The project we are supporting, the Kenya Humpback Whale Research Project, includes a team dedicated to tagging these animals to help bridge our knowledge gaps. The research enables scientists and governments to study how shipping lanes, new ports, fishing activities and offshore industries, such as oil and gas exploration, are affecting these highly social and complex mammals which have a huge role to play in our battle against climate change.
