There’s good news about the VAQUITA, Phocoena sinus. Oh, you’ve never heard of vaquitas or had any reason to celebrate their good news? Vaquitas are the smallest marine cetacean, about 4 to 5’, average 105 lbs., and belong to the porpoise family. They’re also the most endangered marine mammal, with only 10 to 13 left. Ironically, it isn’t even the Vaquita that is wanted. They are bycatch from the illegal gillnet fishing, which picks up everything in its path, for the Totoaba, an endangered fish about the same size and in the same habitat, the northern Sea of Cortez, as the vaquita. It is only the bladder of the Totoaba that is wanted for use in China.
Now, the good news! The Mexican government has put in special blocks that destroy the gillnets and will add more this year. There’s a group of sustainability-oriented fishers in San Felipe using vaquita-safe fishing methods and their group, Pesca ABC, formed in 2016, hopes to expand. Their catch is high-quality, but current sales can only support 30 fishers. Hopefully, restaurants and consumers will pick up on their work.
Most exciting, at least one calf was spotted last year, with hopes for more this year.
Vaquita drawing courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific, located in Long Beach, CA and a leader in saving the vaquita and many other ocean-related actions. https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/
Note: The Endangered Species Act was signed by President Nixon and went into effect in 1973. It has saved countless species, and continues to work effectively, including for the vaquita.