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| a totoaba and dead entangled vaquita, NOAA |
The latest conservation report for the Gulf of California's indigenous porpoise
Phocoena sinus is very bad news. The are only an estimated ten individuals remaining in the wild. The announcement by CIRVA, the international committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, comes after the first recorded vaquita death in 2019. The species has been devastated by gill net fishing for the totoaba, a fish species sought for its swim bladder--once again an animal part mistakenly thought to have medicinal purposes in Chinese traditional medicine. Once abundant, it too is now critically endangered. Swim bladders fetch as much as $46,000 per kilogram. CIRVA calls on the Mexican government to ban all gill nets in the vaquita's northern gulf habitat and begin 24 hour surveillance activities. Unless serious action is taken immediately warns the conservation group, the marine mammal will be exterminated by the illegal trade.
The remaining vaquitas inhabit a very small area of 24x12 kms, according to
acoustic monitoring, most of which is inside their refuge. However, due to inconsistent enforcement efforts, high levels of poaching for totoaba occur in this area. The fishing peaks in March through April, and there are reports the illegal fishing is growing. There have been reported incidents of violence directed at gill net removal crews and even the Mexican Navy. (We doin' need no stinking badges!).
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| vaquita mother, Ana, and her 2018 calf; O. Ortiz |
CIRVA says there is still hope for the mammals since they appear healthy and are reproducing.
[photo] The cause of their decline is man, not disease or lack of food. Without man's help they are doomed to extinction. In 2017 Mexico banned the use of gill nets within the mammal's range because of international pressure, but there has been little enforcement. During the 2018 totoaba season, 400 active nets were located within their range. Because the nets are very fine, they cannot be seen by the porpoises so they become entangled and drown. The situation is deplorable and totally preventable. Mexico needs to work with China to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for robbing Earth of another of its creatures.
