porpoise

The most endangered marine mammal

July 9, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

For the better part of a decade, conservationists have been trying to eliminate the use of gill nets by fishermen in the Gulf of California. Species such as the corvina fish have been decimated by the use of this fishing gear. The nets also trap other marine creatures, include the rare and elusive vaquita porpoise.

The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise, measuring no more than five feet in length. It is the most endangered marine mammal. They live only in the Gulf of California, which is the site of intense fishing activity. Some of that activity is directed towards a fish called the totoaba, which is an endangered species itself. The totoaba’s swim bladder is highly prized for Chinese traditional medicine, so there is a booming illegal market for it. The gill nets used to catch totoaba are especially lethal to vaquitas.

Every year, for a few weeks, an international team of scientists searches the Gulf for vaquitas. Recent surveys estimated that there are around 10 individuals in the area where they are most likely to be living. This year’s survey estimated that six to eight vaquitas are in the area. The ones spotted appeared to be in good health and one yearling was seen.

Officially, fishing with gill nets is banned throughout much of the upper Gulf of California. In practice, enforcement has been difficult to do. However, the Mexican government has been making an effort to improve the situation. The Mexican Navy dropped 193 concrete blocks with giant hooks designed to entangle gill nets to deter fishers and they plan to drop more.

The survival of the vaquita depends on whether the use of gill nets stops.

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Web Links

The Most Endangered Marine Mammal Still Exists. Here’s the Latest Count.

Photo, posted July 12, 2011, courtesy of Semarnat via Flickr.

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Is It Too Late To Save The Vaquita? | Earth Wise

June 6, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The vaquita porpoise, the world’s smallest marine mammal, is on the brink of extinction. Scientists estimate that just 10 or fewer vaquitas are left despite international conservation efforts. Found only in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California, the vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal on the planet.

According to the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, the number one threat facing vaquitas is gillnets. The porpoises get trapped in these nets and drown. Gillnets are often used illegally in the region to catch shrimp and fish, including the critically-endangered totoaba. The totoaba’s swim bladder is considered a delicacy in Asia and can fetch thousands of dollars. Despite Mexico banning both totoaba fishing and the use of gillnets in the vaquitas’ habitat, many say the bans are not always enforced.

But there is a reason to be hopeful. According to a genetic analysis led by researchers at UCLA, the critically-endangered species actually remains relatively healthy and can potentially survive if illegal fishing practices cease immediately.

In the study, which was recently published in the journal Science, the research team analyzed the genomes of 20 vaquitas between 1985 and 2017 and ran simulations to predict the species’ extinction risk over the next 50 years. The researchers concluded that if gillnet fishing ends immediately, the vaquita has a very high chance of recovery. If the practice continues, however, even moderately, the likelihood of a recovery plummets.

According to the research team, the surviving vaquitas are actively reproducing and seem healthy. But poachers’ gillnets will continue to pose an existential threat to the species until more measures are taken to protect the vaquita.

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