AUGUST 3, 2014
NEWS FLASH - The Vaquita is Closer to Extinction Than We Thought – Only an Immediate and Total Gillnet Ban Can Save the Species!!
A new study by an international committee set up by the Mexican Government to advise on the recovery of the vaquita (CIRVA – the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita) has shown that the vaquita is much closer to going extinct than anyone thought. Delays in eliminating the legal gillnet fishing and a new, illegal gillnet fishery for totoaba (an endangered fish endemic to the northern Gulf) have resulted in a dramatic increase in the decline rate of the vaquita, from about 5-8%/year to the current 18.5%/year. Only an estimated 97 vaquitas remain, and probably less than 25 of these are reproductive females.
Download the CIRVA 2014 Report (PDF):
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus, often previously called the Gulf of California harbor porpoise) has been recognized as a rare and vulnerable species since its scientific discovery fifty years ago. There are a number of potential threats facing the species (including habitat alteration by the drastic reduction of freshwater flow of the Colorado River), and its limited range in shallow waters of the upper portion of Mexico’s Gulf of California is considered to be the smallest of any marine cetacean.
Although there is some controversy about the seriousness of other potential threats, without a doubt the primary threat facing the species is incidental kills in various fisheries, mainly in several gillnet fisheries. In fact, this is the only well-documented threat to the population, and studies on bycatch have given clear indications that the kills are unsustainable and undoubtedly causing the small population to decline.
The vaquita is listed as Critically Endangered (facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild) by the IUCN Red List authority, and has received a great deal of attention within the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, and the International Whaling Commission’s Small Cetacean Subcommittee. There is widespread acceptance within the marine mammal community of the extremely serious situation that the species is in, and for many years it has been considered the second-most endangered cetacean species, after the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) of China’s Yangtze River.
With the recent discovery that the baiji is functionally-extinct, and probably extinct in absolute terms, the vaquita is now recognized as the most-endangered cetacean species in the world. Based on abundance estimated in 2008, there are estimated to be less than 100 vaquitas remaining. Based on expected levels of decline, this means there is a window of about two years in which to implement solutions to save the species. After that, it will likely be too late.
In recent years, there been virtually unanimous agreement among researchers and conservationists examining the issue that what is needed to save the species is complete elimination of gillnet mortality. The International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) has convened three times to discuss the species’ situation, and has come to the same conclusion. Some limited progress has been made towards closing down the gillnet fisheries that threaten the vaquita, but not surprisingly this has proven challenging, and many fishermen and fishing collectives have been resistant. It is now clearly seen that the only hope for the species is a program that eliminates gillnets immediately, while at the same time providing economic incentives and aid to the affected fishermen to find alternative sources of income. What is currently needed is the public support to raise the several million US dollars needed to implement the plan.
by Thomas A. Jefferson, Ph.D., Cetos Research Organization
To learn more about the vaquita and how you can help, please visit: http://www.savethewhales.org/vaquita.html
As you may know, vaquitas are now considered to be the world’s most endangered marine mammal, and they live right here in North America - in Mexico’s Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). Recent population estimates show that less than 100 vaquitas are left and their numbers are declining rapidly. Scientists have warned that the species could go extinct in less than 10 years unless immediate steps are taken to protect them.
The major threat to vaquitas is entanglement and drowning in gillnets used by small-scale fishermen in their habitat. The fishermen do not want to catch vaquitas, but gillnets catch and kill everything in their path. Sustainable, porpoise-safe fishing nets must be developed and made available to these fishermen. In addition, the current, unsustainable gillnets must be removed from the vaquitas’ entire range immediately, because even one vaquita death is too many.
Vaquita conservation is not possible without the support of fishermen and local communities in the Gulf of California. Fishermen who voluntarily decide to give up their boats, permits, and/or gillnets to help the vaquita must be fairly compensated or given the opportunity to work in another field. The Mexican Government has had such “buy-out,” “switch-out,” and “rent-out” programs in place for the last five years, but is in need of funding to continue the program.
I am asking the United Nations to do everything in their power to protect the vaquita before this small cetacean disappears from the earth like the Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, did in 2006. The Baiji was the first cetacean species to go extinct because of human-caused threats, please do not allow the vaquita to be the next.