MEXICO CITY (apro).- In a flurry of warnings, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, for its acronym in English) called to change fishing methods within the critical habitat of the vaquita, after it the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will warn about the extinction of these porpoises (Phocoena sinus).
The data revealed in the 2023 Vaquita Observation Cruise Report, prepared by the Government of Mexico, are devastating: the vaquita population is reduced to an estimated 10 to 13 individuals, including two calves.
WWF Mexico made an emphatic call to end the illegal fishing of totoaba in gillnets. This illegal activity is the main threat to the vaquita and perpetuates a destructive cycle. The totoaba, an endangered fish whose swim bladder is highly valued in international markets, is trafficked from Mexico to China through clandestine routes.
According to the report Two decades of collective efforts for the conservation of the vaquita porpoise, prepared by WWF, the vaquita is the most endangered cetacean on the planet and is endemic to the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. The conservation of the vaquita and its habitat is important for several reasons: The vaquita is a critically endangered species, with an estimated population of less than 10 individuals 2. The extinction of the vaquita would have a negative impact on the biodiversity of the Alto Gulf of California and in the marine ecosystem in general.
Net fishing is one of the main threats to the vaquita, but it also has a negative impact on other marine species and the ecosystem in general. The implementation of alternative fishing techniques and the reduction of incidental capture of the vaquita with nets can contribute to the conservation of other marine species and the sustainability of fishing in the region.
