The violent battle to save the world’s smallest porpoises

MEXICO CITY— A grim, increasingly violent battle is playing out between emboldened fishermen and the last line of defence for the smallest and most endangered porpoise in the world.

Jorge Urban, a biology professor at the Baja California Sur University, said this week that only 22 vaquitas remain in the Gulf of California — a number determined by listening to a network of acoustic monitors. That was in fact higher than many had expected; some had estimated as little as 15 would remain in the Gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez, the only place in the world where the vaquita marina is found.

It may be a sign the vaquita is holding on, and what is keeping it alive is a thin line of defenders: Every night 22 volunteer crew members from ships operated by the environmentalist group Sea Shepherd go out to search the upper Gulf for hidden gill nets that catch prized — but protected — totoaba fish and drown vaquitas.

It is increasingly dangerous work. Over the last month, the Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat has suffered two attacks in which dozens of fast fishing boats pounded the ship with rocks and firebombs.

“If we stop operations, the vaquita will go extinct,” said Sea Shepherd first mate Jack Hutton. “It’s just out here removing nets, if we stop removing them then there’s no hope for the vaquita.”

The prime season to catch totoaba, which peaks in May, is causing a frenzy. The big fish’s swim bladders are considered a delicacy in China and can bring thousands of dollars apiece at retail. With so few vaquitas left, a mass totoaba fishing effort this spring could wipe out the species.

The activists are not alone. Mexican marines and federal police aboard the Farley Mowat fired rubber bullets during the most recent attacks. But officials are clearly not capable of handling the attacks, or preventing fishermen from setting the submerged, hidden nets, which are banned by law from the area.

The Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau once called “the aquarium of the world,” is suffering long-term damage from the nets, which are carefully weighted to float below the surface to avoid detection.