Vaquita – Last Chance for the Desert Porpoise

Documentary Overview

“Vaquita -The Search for the Desert Porpoise” is an online documentary series based on the field experiences of documentary filmmaker and photographer Chris Johnson. Over the two years (2008-2009), Chris journeyed to the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. His purpose was to search for and document the most endangered marine mammal on the planet, while giving a voice to those involved in vaquita conservation, and the locals whose livelihood depends on the fishery that is killing the desert porpoise.

With black ringed eyes and a black-lipped smile, vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the smallest of all cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Only an estimated 200 animals remain in a small, isolated pocket of the Sea of Cortez where their numbers continue to decline due to entanglements in gill nets set by local fishermen to catch shrimp.

With the major threat to the vaquita’s survival identified, the solution seems obvious – simply remove the entangling nets. Unfortunately, if this were done, the implications for local communities, whose livelihoods depend on the shrimp fishery, would be significant. The challenge lies in finding an amicable and cooperative solution that allows porpoises and fishermen to live together and thrive, and to find it in time.

The Program – (Watch the videos here)

• Visits the northern Gulf of California, Mexico and the home of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
• Introduces the viewer to the vaquita porpoise in its natural habitat through rarely seen video footage and imagery.
• Takes the viewer onboard both local and international scientific research vessels, inside international conservation meetings and into local communities.
• Explores the impact of the gillnet fishery on the vaquita’s ability to survive.
• Investigates where the demand for shrimp as seafood is coming from, and whether there is any way for consumers to know where and how the shrimp was caught.
• Introduces multiple perspectives on the effects, and potential success of vaquita conservation measures.
• Reveals the purpose behind the Mexican government’s multi-million dollar fisheries buyout scheme.
• Explains the complexities involved in vaquita conservation efforts, and explores how these plans will impact local communities who depend on the shrimp gillnet fishery for a living.
• Discovers scientific techniques being used to assess the vaquita population and monitor its ongoing health.
• Explores the issue of extinction and what it means if we lose this species
• Expresses the need for cooperation and community support for management and enforcement to be effective, and questions if this is happening.

Viewing Ideas –

Before Viewing:

1. Explain to students that as human populations increase, so does our demand for fisheries resources. Talk with students about shrimp as seafood, and that today it is the world’s most popular seafood choice. Discuss the importance of selecting seafood wisely as a consumer, and the importance of not supporting unsustainable or harmful fisheries practices.
2. Divide students into pairs. Advise them to take notes throughout the documentary “Vaquita – The Search for the Desert Porpoise”, with a specific focus on the following issues and themes
   • Why does gillnetting for shrimp pose a threat to vaquita?
   • What could be the long-term consequences for vaquita if the shrimp fishery continues in its current form?
   • Are there alternative fishing gears and do they work?
   • What could be the consequences for the people in the region who rely on the fishery if it were banned?
   • Why does this fishery continue, is it sustainable in regards to shrimp?
   • Are there areas the fishermen cannot fish and why?
   • How can the public pressure governments to enforce existing management laws?
   • How are scientists, conservationists and fishermen working to find a solution to the problem for vaquita, and do you think their tactics can work?
   • How much shrimp is consumed in Mexico, and how much is exported?
   • Is shrimp farming the answer?

After Viewing:

1. Give students five minutes to discuss their notes among their classmates, and with their partner.
2. Class Discussion. Ask students how they feel about the impact of the gillnet fishery on the vaquita.
   • Who benefits from the gillnet fishery in the upper Gulf?
   • What are the long-term consequences of vaquita bycatch?
   • Do we have a responsibility to maintain and protect marine ecosystems for our own benefit and for future generations?
   • How do you feel about conservation groups doing the work governments should be doing?
   • Is the demand for shrimp from the upper Gulf compatible with the protection of vaquita?
   • Should we really be concerned about an animal few people have ever heard of, let alone seen?
   • Should the shrimp fishery in the upper Gulf be closed to protect the vaquita, even though an end to the fishery would severely impact the local communities?

Classroom Activity –

Objective:
Students utilize information gathered from Vaquita – “The Search for the Desert Porpoise”, from class discussion and from the Internet, to undertake an investigation into the seafood industry. They will determine if there is any means for their family to make sustainable seafood choices within their local area.

Materials:
Computer (Depending on accessibility, students can work independently, in pairs or groups.)
Internet access.
Guest speaker.

Procedure:
Understanding where the seafood we buy in our local supermarkets, ‘fish and chip’ shops and restaurants comes from is a responsibility often overlooked. Our choices as consumers dictate the species targeted and the types of gear used to catch them. In this activity, students will investigate the source of seafood in their local area to determine the fisheries practices they, and their family are supporting.

Students will work in pairs. (Preferably with a student living in the same area) Together, each pair will compile a list of marine or freshwater species their families consume on a regular basis, and the outlets where they are purchased.

Students will work to determine the following:

• The origin of the species they consume.
• Were they caught locally, nationally, imported from overseas?
• The status of the population the species was taken from. Are they abundant, vulnerable, threatened, endangered?
• Were they caught in the wild or farmed?
• What type of fishing gear was used to catch each species? (Longline, gillnet, purse seine, unknown.)
• Does the gear used result in bycatch (the catching of unwanted or non-target species)

Instruct students to thoroughly research if any information is made public to guide consumers in their seafood selection.
From their research, students will develop a ‘perspective’ on the seafood industry in their local area, while determine their communities ability to select seafood wisely.

Activity Answer –
Students use what they learned about gillnetting for shrimp in the upper Gulf, Mexico as a catalyst for a class discussion about consumer choices in their own backyard. Students see the connectedness between consumerism, fisheries practices, and how our seafood selection can assist in supporting sustainable fisheries practices. This activity gives students a real worldview of the consequences of specific fisheries and its implications for marine ecosystems. It challenges students to explore and question their own values and responsibilities as consumers, and that of their community.

Related Resources -

Links –
For more information about what you can do to help, look at the following links:

• The Marine Stewardship Council – www.msc.org
  
The Marine Stewardship Council promotes sustainable fisheries practices. Visit the site for help in selecting the best environmental choices in seafood.

• Blue Ocean Institute – www.blueocean.org

  Blue Ocean Institute works to inspire a closer relationship with the sea through science, art, and literature. We develop conservation solutions that are compassionate to people as well as to ocean wildlife, and we share reliable information that enlightens personal choices, instills hope, and helps restore living abundance in the ocean.

• “Fishphone” – www.fishphone.org
  An initiative of the Blue Ocean Institute. This is a mobile phone formatted webpage designed to provide easy navigation and download capability for environmentally conscious and tech-savvy cell phone and PDA users. FishPhone helps restaurant patrons, supermarket shoppers and chefs make healthy, informed, and sustainable choices when deciding which fish is right for them—and the environment.

• Monterey Bay Aquarium – Seafood Watch – www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch

  Browse a list of best seafood choices, or print a Seafood Watch Guide to take with you.

• Oceans Alive – www.oceansalive.org

  Oceans alive ‘eat smart’ program, helps you select seafoods that are caught or farmed responsibly. guide can help you choose fish that are healthy for the oceans and safe to eat.

• WWF – www.panda.org
  
WWF is a global environmental organization. Their mission is to to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

• PBS – Voyage of the Odyssey – www.pbs.org/odyssey

  A five-year global expedition studying sperm whales. Read the Odyssey logs by Chris and Geneveive Johson in the ‘Track the Voyage’ section to learn about sperm whale evolution and ecology, whaling history, scientific research, acoustics and challenges faced by the crew.

Classroom Application –

The Selecting Your Seafood Wisely Activity Program is specifically directed at Grades 9 – 12 biology, geography, oceanography, environmental education, and IT studies. Lateral thinking allows activities encompassing cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and other marine megafauna to link into a wide range of secondary curriculum areas. An awareness of other animals, particularly the study of charismatic keynote species, is crucial for students to learn about the issues involved in conservation and how the choices we make affect the world around us. Learning about the lives of other animals changes our world view, fostering a sense of responsibility and encourages action. The topic of cetaceans fits most obviously into the science learning area. However, there is ample opportunity to incorporate cetaceans into the geography, English and art frameworks.

Genevieve Johnson has taught middle and high school students in the area of Environmental Education for over 12 years. She has also spent five years as a cetacean field researcher on an around the world science and education expedition. As well as teaching in a classroom, Genevieve designed the ‘Class from the Sea’ and ‘Ocean Encounters’ programs, designing curriculum and linking with students around the globe from the research vessel.