Tiny porpoise going extinct

– The near-extinct vaquita marina, the world’s smallest porpoise, has not yet disappeared from its habitat off the coast of Mexico, a research team said on Wednesday after spotting six of them.

The vaquita has been nearly wiped out by illegal fishing in its native habitat, the Gulf of California, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned in May that it could go extinct this year.

But “all hope is not lost” for saving the species after the recent sightings, said Lorenzo Rojas of the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA), presenting the researchers’ findings.

In an 11-day study conducted in late September and early October, marine scientists spotted six vaquitas, including a calf. A full population estimate will be presented in January after further research. In the last full population estimate in 2017, CIRVA found only 30 vaquitas.

Known as “the panda of the sea” for the black circles around its eyes, the vaquita has been decimated by gillnets used to fish for another species. Last year, the Mexican government launched a plan to round up the remaining vaquitas with the help of trained dolphins and relocate them to a protected enclosure. It was aborted when one of the first captured vaquitas died. –

Mexico City