Scientific knowledge is the main doorway for effective species and habitat conservation. It is known that any implication that is lacking scientific backup is doomed to fail. Despite the technological advances in our current era, we know more about space than our own blue planet and what it holds in its depths. Cetaceans, in spite of their critical role for biodiversity, forms one of the least studied species in marine taxa due to its high demand on resources, ranging from but not limited to local research capacities, costly equipment and long-term research durations. We have dedicated ourselves to shed light on our understanding of this blue planet through tracing the indicator species of cetaceans. For this sole reason, we have implemented a dedicated long-term research effort on cetaceans within the Eastern Mediterranean Sea of Turkey since 2015, while simultaneously organising workshops and courses directed to the local research community, including students. Additionally, crediting the importance of stakeholder involvement on any effective protection strategy, we have worked together with fishers, tourism agencies, skippers, divers, related NGOs, universities, municipalities and ministries through building mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships.