The most endangered marine mammal on Earth

The vaquita, a member of the porpoise family, is the world's most endangered marine mammal (Photo: Paula Olson).

Extinction is stalking marine mammals, and one unfortunate species at the top of the list is the vaquita.

With less than 10 individuals left on the planet, let's take a look at what has helped the vaquita survive to this point? What have we done to prevent the disappearance of these unique creatures?

The vaquita (or Phocoena sinus) is the smallest cetacean - the group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises - averaging 4-5 feet in length and weighing about 65-120 pounds.

They have the smallest range, confined to a small area in the northern Gulf of California. Human activity in this area is thought to have led to a decline in vaquita numbers, down 20 since 2017.

Habitat destruction, pollution, and fishing vessel raids are just a few of the human activities that impact this species. In the case of the vaquita, the main cause is fishing, and in particular the widespread use of gillnets in the Gulf.

A vaquita dolphin caught in a fisherman's net (Photo: WWF).

The situation is made worse by the rise of illegal fishing for another endangered species, the totoaba, for their air bladders. Since vaquitas are similar in size to totoabas, they are often accidentally caught in “stray bullets.”

As a result, it is now estimated that there are only 10 vaquitas left in the world, leading the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to issue its first extinction warning in August 2023.

“Despite repeated warnings over nearly thirty years, the vaquita remains on the brink of extinction,” the IWC statement said at the time. The statement explained that during that time, the vaquita population had declined by 560 individuals.

The solution? “The extinction of the vaquita is inevitable unless 100% of gillnets are immediately replaced with other fishing gear to protect vaquita populations and the livelihoods of fishermen,” says the IWC.

Efforts to curb the use of gillnets have prompted the Mexican government to impose a total ban on them, teaming up with actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the navy to use concrete blocks to create a "zero tolerance zone" for illegal fishing.

The vaquita population in Mexico is showing signs of recovery as even juveniles have been spotted (Photo: WWF).

The IWC says these efforts need to be 100% effective for vaquita numbers to begin to recover, but what has been done so far seems to be keeping the population stable at least. Vaquita numbers have not been observed to decline since 2018, and they have even been spotted with juveniles.

“They haven’t stopped breeding yet,” said Dr Lindsay Porter, vice-chair of the IWC’s Scientific Committee. “If we can remove the pressures, the numbers can recover.”

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/loai-thu-bien-co-nguy-co-tuyet-chung-cao-nhat-trai-dat-20240312144704514.htm