Only 10 Vaquita Porpoises Left In America, Urgent Action Required
The Vaquita (
Phocoena sinus
) is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California.
Averaging 150 cm (4.9 ft) (females) or 140 cm (4.6 ft) (males) in length, it is the smallest of all living cetaceans.
The species is currently on the brink of extinction, and currently listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
The steep decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal Totoaba
fishery.
After a recent survey found fewer than 10 Vaquitas left in the waters of their limited home range between Baja California and Mexico.
Vaquitas continue to face a host of threats, including a lucrative illegal fishing industry, political apathy & conservation measures that have been largely ineffective.
The US has sought to put pressure on Mexico over the issue.
The US has also enacted embargoes on the Mexican seafood industry, including banning importation of seafood typically caught in gillnets in vaquita territory.
Backed by the cartels, the expansion of the totoaba market has coincided with vaquita numbers dropping roughly 50% annually.
The locals say that there is a chance that the vaquita will survive. But it is conditional on them not being caught in the nets.
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