SIGN UP FOR OUR Specially trained dolphins and a marine sanctuary are to be used in a bid to save the critically endangered vaquita, a rare porpoise endemic to Mexican waters whose numbers are believed to have fallen to less than three dozen.
The goal is to capture some vaquitas and place them in a temporary sanctuary until it is safe for them to return to the northern part of the Gulf of California, said Lorenzo Rojas, marine mammal investigation and conservation coordinator at the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, a decentralized body of Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat).
A total of 60 vaquitas still exist in the wild, said Semarnat citing official figures, although the latest report by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita puts their numbers at just 30.
That report says the population of the vaquita, the world’s smallest cetacean, has fallen by 90 percent over the past five years.
That situation is the result of this porpoise being trapped in gillnets used to illegally catch the totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is highly coveted in China for its supposed aphrodisiac and rejuvenating properties.
Totoaba swim bladders can fetch thousands of dollars per kilogram (2.2 pounds) on the black market.
“The first thing is to locate the vaquitas, then capture them and later keep them in confinement. There are various stages and each one has its risks and uncertainties,” Jorge Urban, a professor and researcher who heads the Marine Mammal Research program at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur.
One of the methods used to locate vaquitas involves the use of specially trained dolphins that are able to identify the loud and sharp noise made by these porpoises.
This latest attempt to save the vaquita will kick off between May and October of this year once weather conditions are suitable, Rojas said. EFE
Sea Shepherd was established in 1977 and plays an integral part with animal conservation here in Costa Rica and around the world. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.
