| Mexico Government Announces Enhanced Vaquita Protection Plan Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | |
| go to original October 16, 2022 |
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In an official statement released on Oct. 7, Mexico’s Secretary of the Navy, in partnership with the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, announced the launch of a new program aimed at deterring illegal fishing within the Zero Tolerance Area of the Vaquita Refuge.
Known as the Concrete Block Planting project, this new initiative consists of the placement of 193 cement blocks on the sea floor in strategic positions within the vaquita’s habitat. Large hooks protruding from the top of each block will capture any gillnets deployed within the region.
The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Its population has declined in recent years due to entanglement in illegal gillnets. Experts believe that fewer than 20 vaquitas now remain. Vaquitas are endemic to a small region in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California, residing in an area known as the Vaquita Refuge.
The Vaquita Refuge is a UNESCO-recognized and federally protected region in which gillnet fishing is banned. The Zero Tolerance Area is a priority region within the Vaquita Refuge and is where scientists believe the remaining vaquita population is localized. In October 2021, a vaquita sighting survey carried out by world-leading scientific observers on board Sea Shepherd’s Sharpie and Mexican NGO Museo de Ballena’s Narval observed 6-10 healthy vaquitas in the area, including 1-2 calves.
Sea Shepherd has been working with the Government of Mexico since 2015, protecting the vaquita and ensuring that the refuge remains free of illegal fishing gear. To date, this partnership has resulted in the removal of over 1,200 pieces of illegal fishing gear from the vaquita refuge, giving the world’s most endangered marine mammal a fighting chance at survival.
More information on the campaign to save the vaquita
Read the rest at Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Related: Scientists Just Discovered a New Whale. Now They Fear It May Go Extinct. (Washington Post)
Related: 100 Scientists Call on US to Save Dwindling Whale in Gulf of Mexico (EarthJustice)
Related: Alaska Cancels Snow Crab Season for First Time After Population Collapses (Washington Post)
Learn about Marine Mammal Research Group
Learn about COBI - Rebels of the Sea
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