Hugues de Kerdrel

My work is a blend of passion, purpose, and urgency as time is running out. Sharks are declining due to anthropogenic threats and my work is a direct response to a visible crisis impacting both the extraordinary beauty of our ocean and the livelihoods of millions living in African coastal communities. I want to see protected zones come to life, fishermen become ocean stewards and explorers, and policy decisions influenced by our scientific data.

From geographic discovery to ecological revelation, traditional exploration focused on where no one had gone before, Mission William is exploring how species like whale sharks and hammerheads move, survive, and connect ecosystems—revealing invisible networks, whether they be migration corridors or genetic links. Today we are co-creating knowledge with local fishermen, governments, and scientists.  My symposiums turn exploration into a shared mission, where communities become stewards of discovery.

We are using cutting-edge tools, including GAM/UNICOR models, satellite telemetry, to explore questions no one could answer before. My work with novel DO tags (dissolved oxygen sensors) is like sending a probe into the “black box” of shark physiology—exploring their world from the inside out.

We are racing against ecological collapse. My work adds urgency to exploration: every tagged shark is a data point in a rescue mission, every protected corridor is a lifeline against extinction. I like to rethink “Terra Incognita” as the “uncharted territories” as we are mapping relationships: between species, between humans and the sea, between science and policy.

As a little boy, my grandmother and I would embark on imaginary journeys around the world—right from the bottom of her garden, gazing at the sea horizon. Together, we’d travel to see the polar bears in Antarctica, spot whales, and marvel at the pyramids of Keops. Those moments sparked my curiosity and planted the seed for a lifelong fascination with the mysteries of nature—especially the vast, unexplored world beneath the ocean’s surface.

Years later, while organizing my annual trail run “Trail for the Ocean” in France to raise funds for sick children, I met William, a talented 12 year old boy, full of life who was battling a deadly degenerative disease. As we talked, he told me that the ocean was all about ‘whales, sharks and whale sharks.’ I promised him I would dive with a whale shark on his behalf—and that I would name it William. That promise became the genesis of Mission William, and ultimately, the foundation of my life’s work. William’s words gave my passion a deeper purpose: to explore, protect, and honor the marine world he cherished so much from his books.

As a member of the world’s first sailing / decarbonated scientific mission (buoy deployment in the north and south Atlantic) in 2022 on behalf of WHOI (USA) onboard IRIS we stopped in Saint Helena. While diving with local scientists, we encountered an unidentified 15 meter long whale shark, who I named William. Sailing back to Cape Verde we came across massive industrial and illegal fishing fleets and I realized the full scale of the situation and the need for action. The Mission William project and team were structured and launched following this experience.