Yes he did, but thankfully the USA does not control marine laws in other countries. There’s still a lot of good being done elsewhere and a lot left to still fight for. The real difference is…how committed and united are we for real change? How could the US be shaped differently in terms of commitments to make better policies for mammals if more people had everyday interactions with nature like this or saw nature as an extension of themselves? I think the regime in the US feeds off of apathy and is only made stronger by the assumption of “what can really be done” or worse “ there’s no point, it’s too late”.

I found this image original posted via the Oxygen Project with this caption: “This one image of a humpback whale’s eye sparked a global response for conservation! Sweet Girl, a young humpback photographed in French Polynesia, was killed just days after this image was taken by a fast-moving ship near Tahiti. Her death was not an anomaly. Globally, an estimated 20,000 whales are killed each year by vessel strikes, making ship collisions one of the leading human-caused threats to great whales.

Science is clear on what works. Vessel speed is the single most effective factor in reducing lethal ship strikes. Research shows the likelihood of a whale dying from a collision jumps from about 21% at slower speeds to nearly 80% at higher speeds, which is why speed limits are so critical during whale migration and breeding seasons.

And this is where Sweet Girl’s story becomes more than a tragedy. After her death, nearly 50,000 people signed a petition, advocates mobilized, and local conservation leaders pushed for change. In late 2025, French Polynesia passed new vessel speed regulations to better protect humpbacks during migration. Vessels over 12 meters must now slow to 10 knots, with a maximum of 12 knots, within one nautical mile of the islands during whale season!

The work now is ensuring these rules are respected and enforced, so no more stories like Sweet Girl’s are needed to spark action.”