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Vaquita Porpoise On The Brink Of Extinction: Only 60 Left

By Nancy Bailey
Published on: 05:42 PST, May 16, 2016

The vaquita, a snub-nosed porpoise whose dark-circled eyes conjure an image of a friendly cetacean panda, is swimming into the extinction abyss.

The vaquita has been ominously decreasing in numbers due to poachers’ use of gill nets in the upper Gulf of California. The vaquita, smallest of the porpoise family averaging around five feet in length, become tangled in the nets and drown.

To date, the vaquita species has about only 60 individuals remaining, the World Wildlife Fund said. The group warns that another 20 percent drop has probably occurred since January.

“The vaquita is at the edge of extinction.”

The numbers are calculated using visual and acoustical studies, Discovery News said.

“The porpoise’s population had already fallen to fewer than 100 in 2014, down from 200 in 2012, according to the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA), a global group of scientists.”

Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto imposed a two-year ban on gillnets in April 2015, while increasing the vaquita protection area to 5,000 square miles.

He enforced the new law by deploying a navy patrol ship with a helipad, a dozen high-speed boats and two planes to monitor the area.

Navy sailors have found the area to be a virtual junkyard. They reported pulling gill nets from the ocean that are as long as ten football fields, each day finding entangled sea turtles, porpoises, and endangered totoaba fish.

Captain Oona Isabelle Layolle, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said fishermen are still sneaking out at night to cast their nets.

Sea Shepherd sent two boats out to help recover nets. They proposed the ban of gill nets altogether.

The World Wildlife Fund agrees, calling for even stricter measures. Omar Vidal, CEO of WWF-Mexico, said that the vaquita can be saved, but, “This is our last chance.”

“The Mexican government must ban all fishing within the vaquita’s habitat now and until the species shows signs of recovery. Anything else is just wishful thinking.”

A ban on fishing may also help the critically endangered totoaba fish, which swims in the same region as the vaquita and is the target of the gill nets. The totoaba’s bladder is considered a delicacy in Asia.

The market for the totoaba follows an illegal trade route from Mexico, through the United States, to China.

US authorities said that each bladder fetches around $1,500-$1,800 in Mexico, about $5,000 in the United States and $10,000 to $20,000 in Asia.

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Vidal said saving the vaquita would require international cooperation.

“Despite all the best efforts, we are losing the battle to stop totoaba fishing and save the vaquita. In addition to a fishing ban, Mexico, the United States, and China need to take urgent and coordinated action to stop the illegal fishing, trafficking and consumption of totoaba.”

Science Daily explained how the Mexican government has attempted to work with the fishermen, by compensating them using a $30 million program. The program designated funds for refraining from fishing, and implementing vaquita-safe fishing gear.

Despite these efforts, the gill nets still go out. But Vidal said the WWF is determined not to give up on the vaquita.

“We are on the brink of driving the fifth marine mammal species to extinction in modern times. For years, WWF has supported efforts to save the vaquita by working with the Mexican and US governments, local fishing communities, and other partners to implement sustainable fishing options. We will continue to do all we can to save this unique porpoise.”

Ideally, fisherman who are affected by closing the industry would have to be compensated for the loss of income. When the vaquita recovers to the point that fishing can begin again, it would be mandated to use only vaquita-safe gear.

The vaquita was discovered in the 1950’s. They are rarely seen, being shy and elusive. The calf is about the size of a loaf of bread. The vaquita’s recovery would take time, as a female only gives birth every two years.

[Image via Paula Olson NOAA/Wiki Commons]

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