Mexico, conservation group boost efforts to save tiny vaquita porpoise

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Mexico, conservation group boost efforts to save tiny vaquita porpoise

By Carolina Pulice
October 3, 2023 6:39 PM EDT Updated 4 hours ago

MEXICO CITY, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The Mexican government announced a new agreement with conservation group Sea Shepherd on Tuesday aimed at boosting protection of the endangered vaquita porpoise, as the world's smallest cetacean nears extinction.

The agreement comes after years of collaboration between Sea Shepherd and the Mexican navy to protect the vaquita's reserve in the Sea of Cortes in northern Mexico. Just 1.5 meters in length, the vaquita is tiny compared with the blue whale, the largest cetacean, which extends more than 20 meters.

The critically endangered vaquita has been imperiled by illegal gill net fishing for the fish totoaba, itself an endangered species whose bladder is highly valued in Asia. Vaquitas often become entangled in the nets.

Now local authorities, along with the conservation group, will effective immediately broaden their efforts along the Mexican Pacific coast by extending their protection protocols to the totoaba as well.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-conservation-group-boost-efforts-save-tiny-vaquita-porpoise-2023-10-03/

Alternate non-paywalled link: https://news.yahoo.com/mexico-conservation-group-boost-efforts-222156254.html

[littlemissmartypants]

1. The science exists to do breeding programs. Why isn't that being considered?

So sad. ❤️

[Eugene]

2. There was at least one attempt in 2017. A captured porpoise died, and the effort was called off.

Captivity is deemed too stressful on the animal and too risky with such a small population.

The Plan to Rescue a Nearly Extinct Porpoise Goes Terribly Awry (The Atlantic)

No-paywall link: https://archive.is/E10Rj

Update: After death of captured vaquita, conservationists call off rescue effort (Science)