Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)

• Basics

• Was not discovered until 1958

• As few as 30 species left

• Newborns have darker coloration and a wide gray fringe of color that goes from the head to the dorsal flukes

• Found close to shore in the Gulf’s shallow waters, but swim away quickly from boats

• Dorsal surface is dark gray, sides pale gray and ventral surface white with long, light gray markings

• Has a large ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from the mouth to the pectoral fins

• Why are they endangered?

• The species will become extinct without a fully enforced gillnet ban throughout their entire range.

• Often caught and drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations in marine protected areas within Mexico’s Gulf of California

• Most rare marine mammal

• On the edge of extinction

• They will be extinct by as early as 2018 if fishery bycatch is not eliminated immediately

• ⅕ vaquita get entangled and drown in gillnets intended for other marine species like the totoaba

• International trade in totoaba is banned under CITES but high demand from China for its swim bladder led to a corresponding boom in illegal totoaba fishing in the past few years

• Relates to Taiji, high demand allws

• Fishermen receive around $4000 for each pound of totoaba swim bladder, equivalent to half a year’s income from legal fishing activities

• IT IS THE ILLEGAL TRADE THAT IS CURRENTLY DRIVING THE PRECIPITOUS DECLINE IN VAQUITA NUMBERS

• How to prevent this?

• WWF wants the Mexican government to strongly enforce a ban on gillnet fisheries throughout the entire range of the species starting in September of 2014

• They also want the US and China to stamp out the illegal trade in totoaba products and provide enforcement support to the Mexican government