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 […]
Tag: vaquita
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 […]
Poachers Shoot Down Sea Shepherd Drone in the Gulf of Mexico
Poachers in the Gulf of Mexico have reached a new level of violence after shooting down a Sea Shepherd drone for the first time. Sea Shepherd ships were in the Sea of Cortez as part of a Operation Milagro IV to save the critically endangered vaquita porpoise and endangered totoaba bass from illegal fishing when […]
POLL: Should gillnets be banned in the Upper Gulf to save the Vaquita?
Conservationists are mourning the loss of a critically endangered vaquita porpoise who died after being captured by authorities. The vaquita only exists in a small area in the Gulf of California, off the coast of Mexico. Despite past efforts to protect them, including the creation of a refuge in 2005, their numbers have continued to […]
The World’s Most Endangered Porpoise Could Be Gone by 2018
Conservationists have been sounding the alarm for years over concerns that the world’s smallest porpoise is heading towards extinction, but things are looking even more dire with a prediction that they could disappear forever as soon as 2018. The vaquita only exists in a small area in the Gulf of California, off the coast of […]
10 of the Most Endangered Species on Earth
In 2006, the United States Congress designated the third Friday of May as Endangered Species Day. The day highlights the importance of protecting the most endangered animals on our planet. The World Wildlife Fund tracks the most critically endangered species today. These are ten magnificent animals who are designated as critically endangered. 1. Amur Leopard […]
World’s Smallest Porpoise Is on the Verge of Extinction
The world’s smallest and rarest porpoise, the vaquita, is on the verge of extinction. A mere 60 remain, the Mexican government announced Friday. Their numbers have dropped 40 percent in two years, down from 97 in 2014, due in large part for illegal fishing for another endangered species. The totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder […]