{"id":133,"date":"2024-03-04T06:34:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T06:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/?p=133"},"modified":"2024-05-04T00:39:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-04T00:39:19","slug":"can-mexicos-vaquita-porpoise-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/04\/can-mexicos-vaquita-porpoise-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Mexico’s Vaquita Porpoise Survive?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Picture Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The vaquita, scientific name Phocoena\u00a0sinus<\/em>, is a type of porpoise which is endemic to Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Source: Ocean Generation<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The vaquita lives
in the northern part
of the Sea of Cortes
(pictured on the right), also called the
Gulf of California or
Vermilion Sea, a body
of water lying between
the Mexican mainland and the Baja California peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term vaquita is Spanish for \u201clittle cow\u201d and the vaquita is the smallest and rarest type of porpoise.\u00a0 It has only been known to science since the 1950s. <\/p> The vaquita is now in imminent danger of extinction. \u00a0

Here are some vaquita population estimates from recent years demonstrating the drastic decrease: <\/p> 1997 – 567 vaquitas
2007 – 150 vaquitas
2015 – 59 vaquitas
2016 – 30 vaquitas
2018 – fewer than 19
2022 – fewer than ten, maybe just 7 or 8
Why has there been such a precipitous decline?

The main killers of the vaquita are fishing nets.\u00a0 But not fishing nets intended to trap the vaquita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fishing nets are those being used to trap the totoaba fish, also endemic to the Sea of Cortes and also endangered. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since 1975 it\u2019s been illegal to catch the totoaba but poachers have continued catching them
anyway.  <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Source: Environmental Investigation Agency on Mongabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The totoaba swim bladder (pictured left)
is in high demand in China and elsewhere in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This in turn drives an illegal and profitable trade in the totoaba, called the \u201ccocaine of the sea\u201d.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Totoaba swim bladders can fetch thousands of dollars per kilogram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaquitas get entangled in the nets intended for the totoaba.  As mammals, vaquitas need their oxygen. They can\u2019t stay under water indefinitely and they die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in ideal circumstances the vaquita has a slow reproductive cycle.  The time between births for a mother vaquita ranges from 1 to 2 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, there was some cause for hope.  A survey conducted by the Sea Shepherd organization<\/a> observed the vaquita area and reported the existence of 10 to 13 vaquitas.  That total included at least one vaquita calf, a newborn.   A calf was spotted twice, so it was either the same calf twice or two calves.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mexican Navy has installed concrete blocks with curved arms in the water.  The purpose is to catch discarded floating nets which can endanger the vaquita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a Zero Tolerance Area in which illegal fishing had been reduced by 90% (as of April 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in February of 2024 it was reported<\/a> that the trafficking of totoaba swim bladders are on the increase online.

And most swim bladders aren\u2019t even sold individually online but in bulk movements of several hundred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suffice it to say there’s a high demand for the product. Which still endangers the vaquita and the totoaba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blue Whale survived near extinction and increased in population.  But it had a much larger range (most of the world’s oceans). Vaquitas only live in one area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Source: Ocean Generation<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, unless enough breeding stock survives, the vaquita is doomed.  But there is still hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The vaquita, scientific name Phocoena\u00a0sinus, is a type of porpoise which is endemic to Mexico. The vaquita livesin the northern partof the Sea of Cortes(pictured on the right), also called the Gulf of California or Vermilion Sea, a body of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,24],"tags":[23,26,21,22,20],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime","category-wildlife","tag-china","tag-poaching","tag-sea-of-cortes","tag-totoaba","tag-vaquita"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions\/200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mexiconewsreport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}