New digital platform revolutionises whale conservation ahead of World Oceans Day
In a breakthrough for marine conservation, a global coalition led by WWF has launched BlueCorridors.org – a cutting-edge digital platform that maps whale migration routes, or ‘blue corridors’, for the first time using over 30 years of tracking data. By layering this with information on marine threats and conservation zones, the platform offers governments, researchers, and NGOs an unprecedented tool to safeguard these vital migratory paths.
Unveiled just ahead of World Oceans Day (8 June) and the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, BlueCorridors.org supports major international targets, including the 30×30 goal to protect 30 per cent of oceans by 2030, the UN High Seas Treaty, and ambitions set out by the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
A lifeline for whales and marine ecosystems
Developed in partnership with over 50 research institutions, including the University of Southampton and Oregon State University, the platform visualises whale routes across breeding, feeding, and social habitats. These corridors are not only critical for whale survival but underpin the health of wider marine ecosystems.
Yet, the threats are mounting. Ship strikes, fishing gear entanglement, plastic pollution, underwater noise, and the accelerating impacts of climate change continue to endanger seven of the 14 great whale species.
Chris Johnson, WWF’s Global Lead for Protecting Whales and Dolphins, said: ‘Blue corridors are more than migration routes—they’re lifelines for the ocean’s giants and the ecosystems they support. This platform transforms decades of science into a tool for action.’
Linking science, policy, and solutions
BlueCorridors.org does more than visualise data—it provides interactive tools for identifying where whales are most at risk and where conservation measures are most needed. These include:
- Species-specific maps by season
- Marine threat overlays (such as shipping routes and climate stress)
- Data on Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs)
- Actionable case studies for governments and NGOs
Dr Ryan Reisinger, co-lead from the University of Southampton, noted: ‘This is the future of conservation—open, collaborative, and grounded in science.’
Built on the momentum of the 2022 Protecting Blue Corridors report, the platform will also be supported by peer-reviewed publications due in late 2025.
As Johnson summed up: ‘This is more than a map—it’s a movement.’
Whales are among the planet’s most prolific travellers, with some species covering thousands of kilometres each year along vast migratory corridors that stretch across entire ocean basins. These ‘blue corridors’ are not random meanders—they’re finely tuned, seasonal journeys connecting feeding grounds in cold, nutrient-rich waters with breeding and calving sites in warmer, tropical seas.
The humpback whale undertakes one of the longest migrations of any mammal. In the North Pacific, they travel from Alaska’s rich feeding grounds down to breeding areas off Mexico, Hawaii, and Central America. In the Southern Hemisphere, they move from the frigid waters of Antarctica to the coasts of eastern Australia, Mozambique, and Brazil.
Gray whales famously make a round trip of up to 20,000 km between feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi seas and breeding lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. Meanwhile, blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, have similarly long routes, though less well defined – often linking polar feeding zones with tropical or subtropical breeding waters across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
These routes aren’t just vital for whales—they’re the connective tissue of marine ecosystems, guiding nutrient flows and shaping biodiversity. Yet today, many are crisscrossed with danger from ship traffic, fishing gear, and warming seas.
