The data recorded on each device is lost, and it is expensive to replace the stolen CPODs.” While the Mexican government has made some efforts to stop the net fishing - like sinking concrete blocks with hooks to snag nets - the fishermen still appear to have the upper hand, entering the protected are to fish on a daily basis and even sabotaging monitoring efforts.Īccording to the report, “fishermen have begun removing the acoustic devices (CPODs) used to record vaquita clicks. Illegal gillnets have trapped and killed vaquitas for decades the population has declined from nearly 600 vaquitas in 1997.įishermen set the nets to catch totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is considered a delicacy in China and can fetch thousands of dollars per pound (kilogram). It lives nowhere else, and the species cannot be captured, held or bred in captivity.īut it is far too soon to celebrate. They said there may be more vaquitas out there, since the voyage covered only part of the creature’s habitat in the gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they sighted at least one and probably two calves, as immature vaquitas are known, raising hopes for the survival of the world’s most endangered marine mammal. The animals also emit “clicks” that can be heard through acoustic monitoring devices.Įxperts from Mexico, the conservation group Sea Shepherd and the U.S. Because they are so small and elusive, many of the sightings through powerful binoculars are categorized as probable or likely. That is a similar number to those seen in the last such expedition in 2021. MEXICO CITY – Against all odds, the remaining handful of Mexico’s endangered vaquita porpoises are holding on in their only habitat in the Gulf of California, according to a new research expedition report released Wednesday.Įxperts on the expedition estimate they saw from 10 to 13 of the tiny, shy, elusive porpoises during nearly two weeks of sailing in the gulf last month.
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