On the 10th of October 2024, Worlds Aquarium in conjunction with Rescate de Lobos Marinos out of La Paz and Grupo Lobos out of Campo Donico united at Isla San Jorge in the Northern Sea of Cortes just south of Puerto Penasco Sonora to execute our 2nd Sea Lion Rescue mission. In conjunction with the governmental agencies of CONANP and PROFEPA and the help of Infinity Expeditions, our team spend 7 days at the Island capturing and disentangling sea lions.
Our expedition to the island was a resounding success. We successfully captured and disentangled 15 Sea Lions, breaking our previous trip in October 2022 of 13 Sea Lions saved. No one on our team nor any Sea Lions were injured during this expedition.
As usual, weather is a critical factor in our expeditions to San Jorge. Our dates for expeditions are always chosen based on when we can expect the best weather conditions. This was our first attempt at a rescue mission in April, which is very close to breeding season for the colony. In terms of weather, we had two full days of strong southerly winds, which limited our ability to work at the island. Considering we lost those full two days and still rescued two more sea lions than our October 2022 expedition to San Jorge is a testament to how well this trip went.
We also have to give special thanks to Clemens from Infinity Expeditions for allowing us to use their vessel. We were quite spoiled on this expedition with the room aboard his 120 ft Ketch “Infinity”.
