Vaquita Saved in Court

a drowned sentient being, NOT "by catch"

The Vaquita, Phocoena sinus, the smallest member of the porpoise family is very near extinction in the wild.  Fifteen individuals remain. Its home in the northern Gulf of California has been invaded by fisherman using fine mesh gill nets nets it cannot see. {28.03.16}The United States has failed to enforce a ban on fish products that harm vaquitas, a protected species under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, so conservation organizations including NRDC, sued the federal government.  The Federal Circuit appeals court responded by siding with conservationists against the incredible Trump regime to uphold the ban.  It is the third US court to do so.

The legal odyssey for the vaquita began in the US Court for International Trade in March where its human advocates secured a preliminary injunction against vaquita killing seafoods.  The Commerce, Homeland Security, and Treasury Departments had attempted to modify or undo the ban three times.  A US wildlife biologist for the Animal Welfare Institute said the US government is wasting time by continuing to oppose the court orders.  Mexico has attempted to restrict gill net use near the vaquitas' home range without much success.  It it is undisputed that gill net fishing in the northern Gulf is driving the species over the edge of existence.  Over the past 20 years, 95 percent of the population has been lost, and gill netting contributes to 50% or more of vaquita deaths.  Scientists predict that the small porpoise will be extinct soon, possibly even by 2021, if Mexican fishing practices and law enforcement efforts remain unchanged.