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Calypso Project
A Pan-Caribbean scientific odyssey for marine megafauna conservation
The Calypso project is a large-scale, 3-month expedition designed to protect marine megafauna across the entire Caribbean basin through research, education and community engagement.
It is the largest integrated scientific expedition ever undertaken in the Caribbean for Marine megafauna.
A biolocally rich and culturally significant marine region
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The Caribbean Sea supports a remarkable diversity of marine megafauna, including whales, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, large pelagic fishes, and more.
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It encompasses globally important breeding, calving, feeding, and migration areas.
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These highly mobile species play critical ecological roles as top predators, nutrient vectors, and ecosystem engineers, contributing to ocean productivity, food-web stability, and climate regulation across the wider Caribbean basin.
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Yet despite its importance, the Caribbean remains one of the least coherently monitored marine regions at basin scale.
Limited protection for increasing pressures
Marine megafauna move freely across national borders, but management, data, and conservation efforts remain fragmented, uneven, and largely confined within individual jurisdictions.
At the same time, this marine megafauna and marine ecosystems in the Caribbean face increasing pressure from maritime traffic, hunting, pollution and climate-driven changes.
A scientific, diplomatic, and educational odyssey
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Pan-Caribbean in scope: covering the central basin
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Standardized science: comparable data across borders and ecosystems
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Action-oriented: science explicitly designed to inform protection
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Inclusive by design: governments, NGOs, scientists, youth, and communities engaged together
How does it work ?
Duration: 3 months at sea between May and August
Coverage: All Caribbean central basin territories including all the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the ABC islands, Colombia, Puerto Rico, USVI, BVI, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Offshore Cuba, Jamaica.
Structure: Multiple north–south offshore transects spanning the basin from east to west.
Each stop combines:
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Offshore research transects
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Port-based community engagement
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Meetings with governments and local partners
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Youth engagement
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Potential local research surveys
What do we do ?
Our impacts
A major step change in how marine megafauna are understood, managed, and protectedacross the Caribbean, shifting the region from fragmented knowledge to coordinated, science-based action
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A Caribbean-wide, standardized scientific dataset on the diversity, distribution,movements, and threats affecting marine megafauna
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Integrated spatial analyses identifying habitats, and risk / pollution areas
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Standardized protocols, and capacity building ensuring long-term comparability,interoperability, and regional ownership
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Sustained engagement of governments, NGOs, and communities throughout expedition,analysis, and dissemination phases
Together, these outputs will deliver the first basin-wide, standardized evidence base todirectly inform policy and enable governments to act through marine protected areas,ecological corridors, and transboundary management aligned with 30×30 objectives. Beyonddata, Calypso will reinforce lasting regional cooperation, empower Caribbean institutions, andplace communities at the center of marine stewardship, laying the foundation for science-based governance and a resilient, connected Caribbean Sea.
On board
Scientists, volunteers, photographers, videographers, sailors, and students — but above all, people driven by a deep passion for marine life, the ocean, and cetaceans.
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Learn more here
Thank you to all our partners
