International wildlife trade regulator CITES recently decided to allow an aquaculture company in Mexico to export captive-raised totoabas, a large fish categorized as being in danger of extinction under Mexican law. The fishing and international trade of the totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) have been prohibited for more than 40 years, yet illegal fishing for it persists […]
Tag: vaquita
Vaquita porpoise could survive … but only if illegal fishing stops immediately
Scientists studying the DNA of the world’s smallest cetacean and rarest marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise, have made a surprising and bittersweet discovery. With a tiny population of fewer than 10 individuals left, the mammal was assumed by conservationists to be at a similar risk of harmful mutations and inbreeding as other species with small […]
Petition: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises Face Unprecedented Risk of Extinction, Hundreds of Scientists Warn
More than 350 scientists and conservationists from 40 countries are calling for global action to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from extinction. In a letter, the global coalition of scientists and conservationists warn that more than half of all living cetacean species now have a concerning conservation status: 13 species are “Critically Endangered” or “Endangered,” […]
These 16 Amazing Animals are Going Extinct and Here’s How You Can Help!
These 16 animals are on the verge of going extinct and are listed on the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature’s list of “Critically Endangered” species. Read on to learn more about these creatures and to learn how you can help. First up, the Amur Leopard, listed by the WWF lives in the Russian Far […]
Petition: Urge U.S. Government to Enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act to Protect the Last Few Vaquitas on Earth!
Vaquitas are a rare marine mammal, relatives of the dolphin. These porpoises are the smallest marine mammal. They’re often found on the northern part of the Gulf of California — when and if they’re found at all. Unfortunately, they may soon not be found at all anymore. There are less than 20 vaquitas left on […]
Nearly extinct vaquita mothers with calves spotted in recent expeditions
There may be a glimmer of hope for the extremely rare vaquita porpoise, the world’s smallest cetacean, a group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. The vaquita is also the most threatened marine mammal in the world, nearly extinct because of entanglement in fishing nets. The latest expeditions to survey the mammal in the northern […]
Chinese nationals arrested in US after smuggling totoaba swim bladders worth $3.7 million from Mexico
According to a report this week by Quartz, two Chinese nationals were arrested last month in the state of California with $3.7-million-worth of totoaba swim bladders that they had smuggled from Mexico. Quartz’s Justin Rohrlich writes that a sheriff’s deputy in Orange County, California initially pulled the two men, Yikang Liang and Haoyu Huang, over […]
Suspected totoaba poachers shot by authorities in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez
Three suspected totoaba poachers were reportedly shot yesterday by Mexican marines following a confrontation over illegal gillnets that had been confiscated. According to local news outlet Fronteras, the governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, Francisco Vega, has confirmed that three people were injured in a shootout between suspected poachers and Mexican marines early […]