"Mexican scientists have been concerned about one particular bycatch: the vaquita, a porpoise found only in Gulf of California's northwesternmost tip, an area that's just under 900 square miles of the approximately 62,000-square-mile Gulf. We know little about them: Adults can reach five feet and frequent shallow coastal waters, eating fish, squid and sometimes krill. Unlike dolphins, which they resemble, vaquitas are shy, avoiding vessels and surfacing briefly before returning to their secret underwater lives. This makes studying them challenging for scientists used to collecting data from boats or onshore."
"The scientific community only learned about vaquitas in 1958, when two American zoologists found a skull on a beach. Almost three decades later, a whole carcass turned up. By then, experts speculated that the vaquita was disappearing fast - the most endangered marine mammal on Earth. IN 1997, there were an estimated 567 vaquitas, and scientists predicted they would be extinct by 2021. Every year, the odds increase that this little porpoise will vanish. And yet, it persists, along with multiple campaigns to save it."
"French conservationist Jacques Cousteau dubbed it "The Aquarium of the World." In 1987, his team captured never-before-seen footage of the Gulf's sea lions, sharks and great diversity of fish. I think about this every time I swim in its waters or eat the local seafood: Will we ever understand all its riches? Around 10% of the species are found nowhere else on Earth, and Cousteau warned us years ago about the dangers of excessive commercial and illegal fishing."
The Gulf of California is a highly diverse marine region with many species found nowhere else. Excessive commercial and illegal fishing threatens its wildlife, including vaquitas, a porpoise restricted to the Gulf’s northwestern tip. Vaquitas are poorly understood because they are shy, avoid vessels, and surface briefly in shallow coastal waters. Scientists learned of the species in 1958 from a skull and later from a carcass, leading to predictions of rapid decline. Estimates in 1997 suggested 567 individuals and extinction by 2021, yet the species persists amid ongoing conservation campaigns. In 2023, visits to El Golfo de Santa Clara connected conservation concerns to local small-scale fishing communities.
Read at High Country News
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