The Humpback Whale Project was set upin 1988, in Caravelas, southern Bahia, Brazil, to study and protect a small remnant humpback whale population, discovered during the implementation of Brazil’s first National Marine Park,in the Abrolhos Bank. The area was then suggested to be the main humpback whale breeding ground in the western south Atlantic. In 2001, a second station was set up on the northern coast of Bahia, in Praia do Forte, just 50 km north of the state capital, Salvador.This area is believed to be a former breeding ground, reoccupied by the recovering humpback population.The Humpback Whale Space, opened in 2006, is a large visitor centre dedicated to environmental education and raising awareness in the local community and tourists for whale conservation and responsible tourism.

The Humpback Whale Project is part of a larger organization, the Humpback Whale Institute, founded in 1996, with the mission to “protect the humpback whales and other cetaceans of Brazil, contributing to harmonise human activities with the preservation of the natural heritage”.We do this through scientific research, environmental education, responsible tourism and public policies.We believe that working in partnership with the local communities, tourists and the public opinion,in several ways,strengthens the battle for the conservation of our oceans and all marine species.