The vaquita porpoise is the rarest and most-endangered species of marine mammal in the world. It is Critically Endangered with only 125-150 remaining. It is smallest, of only six species of true porpoises, and is the only one that lives in warm waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is found in a tiny area in the extreme northern Gulf of California, in Baja California, Mexico.

In the last few decades, the small population has plummeted, as gillnets set for fish and shrimp kill more porpoises than are born annually. These “invisible” gillnets trap the vaquitas and they drown. If rapid progress is not made, the vaquita may be extinct in a few short years. The very perilous situation of the vaquita has been recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Whaling Commission, Mexican Government, and United States Government.

Yes! Unlike some endangered species that have no place left to live in the wild, the vaquita's home in the Gulf of California is clean and healthy. The only real problem is the gillnets that entangle and kill vaquitas. If these can be moved out of the small area where vaquitas occur, the species will likely recover. We can save the vaquita!! Learn how you can help the vaquita!

Vaquita Updates & Publications:

• Vaquita: Will a Tiny Porpoise Be the Next Endangered Species to Go? Take Part by Ben Murray, May 20, 2010.
• Profile of Dr. Thomas A. Jefferson: A Voice for the Vaquita in San Diego, San Diego Scuba Diving Examiner, April 11, 2010.
• Learn more about Vaquita and their porpoise family in a full-color special issue of the American Cetacean Society's Whalewatcher Journal (2010, Volume 39, No. 1). To order: Contact Kaye Reznick, ACS, business manager. Email: acsoffice@acsonline.org or Call: (310) 548-6279. Price: $6.00 within the U.S. & $11 International (includes shipping & handling).

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since 1 Nov 2009

Last Update 5/20/10