Tuesday, June 9th 2026 - 14:20 UTC
Happywhale's Ted Cheeseman called the South Orkney Islands an 'oceanic Serengeti for whales (Pic Gennaa Rowland)
On World Oceans Day the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the Southern Ocean by announcing the establishment of a new voluntary “Geofenced Whale Area” around the South Orkney Islands beginning in the 2026/27 Antarctic season.
Anne Kalosh, editor of Seatrade Cruise News reports that this new operational measure is designed to reduce the risk of whale strikes in an area increasingly recognized as an important habitat for recovering whale populations. IAATO members operating within the designated area will voluntarily observe a 10-knot speed restriction, measured as “speed over ground,” between Nov. 1 and May 30. The measure will remain in place for an initial two-year period or until further review by the IAATO Marine Committee.
The South Orkney Islands, located approximately 600 kilometers northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and 840 kilometers south west of South are the latest addition to IAATO’s growing network of Geofenced Whale Areas, first introduced in 2019 in the Gerlache Strait and Crystal Sound. Since then, IAATO has expanded and refined the program by adding mandatory whale protection areas around the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island, and by introducing an Acoustic Awareness Zone in the Gullet.
