There are just 10 vaquita, a type of porpoise, left in the world; all in the northern part of the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez
Photo: Thomas A Jefferson, Viva Vaquita via International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) issued its first ‘extinction alert’ on August 7, 2023 on the vaquita porpoise, of which only 10 individuals survive in the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
The vaquita is only found in the northern-most part of the Gulf of California, Mexico. Numbers have fallen from a population of approximately 570 in 1997 to around 10 animals in 2018.
“There are about 10 surviving animals and the IWC is speaking out now because it believes extinction is not yet inevitable,” a statement by the IWC said.
The note added that the Scientific Committee of the IWC, comprising of around 200 world-leading scientists, “have recently reached the sombre conclusion that a new mechanism is needed to voice extinction concerns for an increasing range of cetacean species and populations”.
The IWC said the first extinction alert had been issued on August 7 “to encourage wider recognition of the warning signs of impending extinctions, and to generate support and encouragement at every level for the actions needed now to save the vaquita”.
The Extinction Alert says:
The decline of the vaquita has continued despite a very clear understanding of both the cause (bycatch in gillnets) and the solution (replacement of gillnets with safe alternatives in the vaquita habitat.
The vaquita is caught as bycatch in gillnets meant for totoaba, a fish the swimbladders of which are prized in Chinese cuisine.
“An illegal, international trade in totoaba fish, found in the same waters, has complicated efforts to end gillnet fishing,” the note said.
“This number (10 individuals) appears to have remained fairly constant since 2018, probably due to increased enforcement of gillnet bans and removal of nets,” according to the note.
“Despite the very low number of surviving animals, 100 per cent enforcement of a ban on gillnets in their core habitat would still give this small but resilient porpoise a chance of recovery,” the statement said.
“The Committee points to lessons that can be learned, particularly the need for early and multi-disciplinary actions that look beyond the immediate conservation concern to address wider factors, but today their focus is the clear, single action needed now to save the vaquita,” it added.
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