See the World's Newest Marine Park in the Pacific Ocean

Mexico’s Revillagigedo reserve safeguards fish, sharks, rays, whales, and other life

manta ray

The manta ray, shown here, is one of at least 37 species of sharks and rays that have been documented in the archipelago.

Pelagic Life

For the health of the ocean and all who depend on it, this is big news: Last week, Mexico became the latest nation to create a large, fully protected marine reserve. The Revillagigedo Archipelago National Park, the country’s largest marine protected area, is larger than the state of New York and protects 57,176 square miles (148,087 square kilometers) from fishing and other extractive activities.

The Revillagigedo Islands and their system of seamounts are a critical waypoint for large migratory species traversing the Pacific Ocean, including whales, dolphins, sea turtles, tunas, billfish and 37 types of shark and ray. The islands are also home to over 360 species of fish, 26 of which are found nowhere else on the planet. Take a dive beneath the surface with us and check out some of the natural treasures that are now safeguarded in Revillagigedo.

dolfins

The Revillagigedo Archipelago is a critical waypoint for migratory species such as dolphins, whales, sharks, tunas, and sea turtles.

Pelagic Life
Humpback

Humpback whales, which seek warmer waters for their calving grounds, make their winter home in Revillagigedo.

Pelagic Life
Revillagigedo waters

At least 366 species of fish, including 26 found nowhere else on the planet, call the Revillagigedo Archipelago home.

Pelagic Life
Silky sharks

In May and June, large schools of silky, Galapagos, and silver tip sharks frequent Revillagigedo’s warm waters.

Pelagic Life

To learn more about the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project's work in the Revillagigedo Archipelago, please read this fact sheet and blog post.

Revillagigedo Archipelago
Revillagigedo Archipelago
Fact Sheet

Revillagigedo Archipelago

Waters around Pacific island group now make up Mexico’s largest fully protected marine reserve.

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Fact Sheet

Revillagigedo Archipelago

The Revillagigedo Archipelago sits off Mexico’s Pacific coast, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) west of the city of Manzanillo and 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Cabo San Lucas. With its rich ecological and geological landscape, the volcanic island chain was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016.

Remote Mexican Isles
Remote Mexican Isles
Article

Sea Life of Mexican Isles Needs Protection Now

Planned reserve in Revillagigedo Islands would safeguard biodiversity and boost climate resilience

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Article

In the Pacific Ocean, a few hundred miles south of the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas, four volcanic islands peak above the ocean surface to form the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The uninhabited islands—Socorro, Claríon, San Benedicto, and Roca Partida—and their neighboring seamounts (underwater mountains) together form a critical waypoint on a superhighway of marine life in the Pacific.

Revillagigedo
Revillagigedo
Opinion

Protection in Mexico Will Strengthen Marine Life on the Pacific’s Migratory Superhighway

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Opinion

The best way to ensure the health of our oceans is to protect marine species and their habitats. But that’s challenging, because ocean species—especially migratory ones such as whales, sharks, and sea turtles—navigate an onslaught of fishing hooks, nets, and plastic pollution during annual migrations of hundreds and even thousands of miles. On this complex highway, areas where migratory species can safely gather to rest, feed, and breed, such as fully protected marine reserves, become critical to their survival.