Vaquita – Last Chance for the Desert Porpoise

Great update Catalina. It is a worry that more people are participating still in the rent-out with no one participating in the Buy-out this year?!?

Hi Chris, this is a tough question to answer. In general, buyouts are meant to reduce a fleet’s capacity, therefore reducing total effort in a fishery. In the Upper Gulf, the main objective is to reduce the number of gillnets operating in the water. While a buyout may be a good way to accomplish this, it will not be the sole solution. The less fishing vessels you have, the better chance of increasing your catch (hopefully without increasing your effort), so the fishery becomes more valuable to you. Also, most fishermen are not trained in other activities, so they might prefer to stay in the fishery –their chances of being successful and being able to provide for their family is greater. Whether they choose to participate or not depends on many factors, for example expected future earnings, experience, financial status, and age.

Since fishermen are opting to keep their fishing permits, developing “vaquita safe” fishing gear for all gill net fisheries is very important and needs to become a priority. Maybe it’s time to shift the focus from one strategy to another. Saving the vaquita marina from extinction should not depend on a permit buyout. A species can be saved by using different tools and strategies that approach the problem from different perspectives. In a way, this is what the PACE-vaquita is trying to do by offering different programs, and even though no one was interested in the buyout this year, the option should always be available. Reducing the size of the fishing fleet will not only benefit the vaquita, but it will also benefit the ecosystem and the fisheries.

Hi Catalina, I am having a difficult time understanding the recent actions taken and what that means for vaquita: http://www.canalsonora.com/noticias/secciones/local.asp?articleid=20122&zoneid=3
would you please explain? Thank you.

Hi Joe,

The news article refers to a new program that seeks to improve fishing activities in the Upper Gulf. The name of the program is MARSOPA (porpoise) and stands for Resposible and Sustainable Management for Fishing Activities in the Upper Gulf (Manejo Responsable y Sustentable para Operaciones Pesqueras en el Alto Golfo). The agreement was signed by Sonora’s Governor, Guillermo Padrés, the Fisheries Commissioner, Ramón Corral, as well as NGOs (EDF, WWF, NOS). Other participants include INAPESCA, CONANP and SAGARHPA.

The MARSOPA program does not have any objectives that deal directly with vaquita, however it does include activities that, in the long term, could benefit the species (as well as other species and the environment in general). The aim is to reach sustainable fisheries through fisheries ordinance plans, creating a shared vision for the region, implementing biological and administrative monitoring programs, implementing catch quota systems to manage fisheries, designing inspection and implementation programs with the government and supporting alternative fishing activities. Established regulations and conservation measures like the vaquita refuge, core zone and gear restrictions are integrated into the MARSOPA objectives.

For now, MARSOPA focuses on the Gulf Corvina fishery and on creating a quota system for this fishery. This fishery takes place in March-April, when the species migrates to the Delta to reproduce; fishing takes place in and around the biosphere’s core zone.

MARSOPA is fisheries oriented but, as its objectives are met, it should have positive impacts on the environment and endangered species like the vaquita. CONANP will publish its annual compensation plan soon (this program does include specific vaquita conservation activities). Guidelines have already been posted on CONANP’s website (http://www.conanp.gob.mx/vaquita_marina/index.php?start=21), and I’ll be posting a description of it soon.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

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