Vaquita – Last Chance for the Desert Porpoise

[...] Watch Vaquita: The Search for the Desert Porpoise documentary (found here: http://vaquita.tv/documentary/introduction/ [...]

Good grief are we going to lose the Vaquita just as we did the Yangtze river dolphin? As a Planetary community we must act collectively to prevent the extinction of this species. I urge everyone to take action in some form or other to persuade the Mexican government that the Vaquita is worth saving. If we lose another cetacean species in the space of just a decade then what hope is there for our own species in the future. Lets all make the Vaquita a ‘special’ symbol of hope please register you support by whatever means open to you to prevent the extinction of one of the Worlds most endangered porpoise there are just 6 species in the World lets ensure that it remains that way.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!

Thank you for your passionate comment Elfyn!

Most depressing to find out about the vaquita.I guess its true that ignorance can be better sometimes.We were just celebrating the arrest of a notorious animal trader in Malaysia and then boom…one more species pushed to the brink.
If there any specific suggestions on creating awareness for the vaquita, pls kindly suggest

I’m so very glad you’ve finally completed this, but dismayed that the vaquita may only have a year left.

anything.. do anything..the more people who know, the better.I had never even heard of this animal until looking for a research article for Bio.get the word out in ANY way you can

I’m so glad that i read BBC Wildlife MAG. this month where i found the link to the documentary. Yes yet another species heading for extinction due to human activity. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the vaquita.

Yet another species heading for extinction due to human activity just like the Dodo, Yangtze river dolphin and Lonesome George . I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the Mexican vaquita maybe we can save them? Chris how could we help? do you need volunteers? my stuedents and I would love to help!!

What if you guys could make a 4th option for the fishermen, like come out every 3 to 5 years to fish so that the fish grow large enough and more aubundant enough to make a fishermens harvest more worthwhile to them because they could catch more really big ones and probably small ones as well and that should mean the Vaquitas could increase in number over the years. One of the many problems with overfishing is that fishermen have to go out further and further from land each year to catch fish because they deplete the numbers and they deplete the size because they don’t give them time to grow big enough. The Giant Red Octopuses, fish, shrimp and other marine animals have shrunk in size due to not letting them grow to full size and therefore decreasing the amount of food on the table and This is very similar to the trees in North America where the largest ones of probably any species got cut down first, then the second largest, then the third largest, then we are left with nothing but national forest that look like stick farms and most of the big ones that we see now were the ones that were less then 12 inches diameter during the majore logging eras and were left because they are less valuable due to their size.

I am really surprised by how close the Vaquita are to extinction; I had only heard about this particular marine mammal whilst looking for a topic to base a college project on a few months ago and already I feel quite strongly for them. The public need to know about the Vaquita before it is too late to save them; the more people that know about them, the more chance we have of saving them.
It is such a shame that we humans are driving so many different species of animal to extinction out of selfishness and greed usually. It is also a shame that future generations will probably never even know these animals existed or never have the chance to see these animals in the wild.
Most humans need to understand that we are not the only beings on this planet and this planet isn’t here for just US; it is here for everything living on it.

Dear Naturalist Frank,
This is a good idea; there are many examples where this strategy has been implemented with positive results. It is very difficult to provide so many options especially when resources are limited. In this case, the Mexican government is providing all the funds for the buyout, switchout, rent out programs. Maybe this could be an opportunity for NGOs to design a more flexible program that allows for a wider variety of options for fishermen.

regards,
Catalina

Thank you for your comment Kristy,
Many of us agree that sharing this story and helping others learn about the vaquita, the Upper Gulf of California, and the communities that depend on local marine resources is extremely important. Communication and education are crucial in creating awareness about the various environmental issues this region faces. Please keep sharing this story!

best,
catalina

I just learned about the vaquita when I visited the Pacific Aquarium in Long Beach. They have information on a wall. I am entranced by this lovely porpoise and horrified by it’s predicament. Has anyone contacted a large and powerful conservation group such as The Nature Conservancy or the Asierra Club to see if they would take up the cause of the vaquita?
Marilyn

Hi Marilyn,
The Upper Gulf display at the Aquarium of the Pacific is a great place to learn about the vaquita and totoaba. There are several conservation groups working in the region with vaquita issues, among them WWF. There are other smaller but equally important groups that are considered more local like Pronatura-Noroeste and CEDO. All these groups, together with scientists (Mexican and International), the Mexican government and fishermen, have been working together in finding solutions to eliminate vaquita threats and improve fishing practices. It is a slow process but hopefully things keep moving forward.

Regards,
catalina

Is there consensus in the scientific community about the plural spelling for vaquita? Thanks.

Hello K. Seat,

I’m not sure about this, however there are two simple rules I like to follow:
1. When referring to # of individuals you can say vaquitas (example: There were nine vaquitas sighted in September).
2. When referring to the species you can use the singular form, vaquita (example: The Upper Gulf of California is very diverse, and is where vaquita and totoaba can be found).

This is a great question and I will look into it just to be sure.
Regards,
Catalina