Mexico is losing one of its most iconic species, but activists continue to fight for its preservation

Vaquitas are the only cetacean species in Mexico and, despite efforts to preserve them, their numbers are dwindling. An alarming report puts the number of specimens between 6 and 22 and the conditions to protect them become increasingly difficult.

O awesome.club tells you why the vaquita is becoming extinct and what impact its disappearance will have on the Mexican ecosystem.

The vaquita, also known as the Mexican river dolphin, is a porpoise endemic to the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of ​​Cortez. It is a cetacean, just like whales and dolphins, but much smaller and with marked physical differences. This small marine mammal measures only around 1.5m and is able to survive in warm waters.

It is a species that can only be seen in Mexico and that has not been studied in full, as it is very shy, and the high levels of stress that its capture produces can lead to death.

Vaquitas are natural predators in the murky, shallow waters of the Gulf of California and keep the ecosystem in balance. But despite having no natural enemies, their numbers rapidly and unchecked decline. What is causing this unprecedented extinction?

Despite campaigns by various organizations to preserve them, restrictions on fishermen and public policies to reduce illegal fishing in the area, efforts seem to have been in vain. Vaquitas often fall into nets designed to capture other species.

The totoaba, a fish similar in size to the vaquita and also endemic to the Gulf of California, is highly valued in the Asian market for the properties attributed to its swim bladder. Unfortunately, the trafficking of this fish organ mobilizes millions of dollars, especially on the black market, against which there is no real fight.

Due to restrictions, those who capture these specimens put out clandestine, almost invisible fishing nets up to 2 kilometers long to catch them. Vaquitas usually remain entangled in them for several days until they suffocate.

Environmentalist organizations denounced irregularities in the management of incentives for fishermen in the region to change their methods to more sustainable ones and, for this reason, despite the restrictions, they continued to fish indiscriminately for totoabas. While the fishermen’s intention is not to wipe out the vaquitas, this has been the inevitable consequence of their actions.

While trawling is the main threat to vaquitas, other human impacts have also contributed to their population decline. In the United States, a dam was built that interrupted the flow of fresh water from the Colorado River to the Sea of ​​Cortez, which directly affected the habitat of this animal and altered its food chain.

The Colorado River estuary comprised more than 2,500 square kilometers and, since 1990, has only reached about 38. According to experts, the change in habitat has also caused the vaquita population to be drastically reduced and other species affected.

As it is impossible to capture them without generating mortal stress, it was not possible to transfer the remaining specimens to facilities where they could be safe from the threat of incidental fishing and reproduce in peace.

It is so difficult to capture them without causing damage, or even to see them, that scientists count them using special microphones that capture the sounds with which they communicate and, depending on the frequencies and location, can tell how many there are.

Although little is known about the reproductive cycle of vaquitas, it is estimated that they reach sexual maturity between 3 and 6 years of age, and reproduce every two years, which does not help to increase their population in the face of the dangers they face. Their only hope is that the reserve that has been demarcated is respected, so that they can survive.

The advantage that vaquitas have in this regard is that, having developed in such a limited habitat, inbreeding is not an issue and they could recover their population gradually, provided there are enough specimens of both sexes.

Firstly, the Mexico would lose one of its most emblematic species, a position it occupies alongside the golden eagle and the jaguar. It would be an irreplaceable loss of biological and genetic heritage, as the vaquita can only be found in the Gulf of California and cannot survive in any other habitat.

Being the main predator in the area, the impact of its extinction would result in alteration of the ecosystem’s nutritional chain. The region is an area of ​​very high marine diversity, where several migratory species also live, which made UNESCO classify it as a Natural World Heritage Site in 2005. If the vaquita disappears, Mexico could lose this title for not having done so. sufficient efforts for its preservation

Another serious consequence would be on the social and economic level for the populations that live from fishing in the Gulf. Its main customer, the United States, has imposed a ban on the importation of shellfish and fish from the Sea of ​​Cortez by using nets to catch them, something strictly prohibited if a protected species is damaged in the process.

This sentence has been the result of pressure from environmentalists to save the vaquita and could represent a millionaire loss for the Mexican fishing industry.

The most important thing is to talk about it, share it and spread the word about what is happening with this adorable Mexican cetacean. Did you know about this species? What do you think about vaquita extinction? Do you think there’s still time to save her?