In Mexico, A Last-Ditch Effort To Save The Vaquita, On The Verge Of Extinction

[Judi Lynn]

May 26, 20177:56 PM ET




The M/V Sam Simon is one of two boats owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that is scouring the Gulf of California in search of illegal fishing.
Carrie Kahn/NPR


In Mexico, the race is on to save a small, gray porpoise that is on the brink of extinction. It's called the vaquita, which is Spanish for "small cow."

Scientists believe only 30 remain in the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf of California, between Baja California's peninsula and mainland Mexico — the only place they live in the world.

Twenty years ago, more than 600 vaquitas lived in the Gulf of California. In recent years, Mexico put forth an unprecedented and expensive effort to try and save the animal — but the vaquita's chances don't look good.

The town of San Felipe in the state of Baja California Norte, with a population of just about 30,000, is ground zero for the fight to save the tiny porpoise. It's also where international environmentalists, scientists and local fishermen are all entangled in the fight to save the world's most endangered marine mammal.

More:
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/05/26/530205523/in-mexico-a-last-ditch-effort-to-save-the-vaquita-on-the-verge-of-extinction

Environment & Energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127110643