The vaquita marina is a species of cetacean in the family Phocoenidae, commonly called "porpoises". This family is made up of only six different species: finless porpoise, harbor porpoise, spectacled porpoise, black or spiny porpoise, Dall's porpoise and the vaquita porpoise, which we will talk about in this article on our site.
The Most Endangered of the six species is the vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus), which also has the smallest range of distribution and lives exclusively in warm waters. The rest of the species need warm or very cold waters, such as that of the poles. Do you want to know why the vaquita porpoise is in danger of extinction? Continue reading!
What is a vaquita porpoise?
Vaquitas are the smallest cetaceans, just like dolphins and whales. The females, larger than the males, do not exceed a meter and a half in length. They are therefore marine mammals.
The main differences between vaquitas or porpoises and dolphins is that their teeth are flattened, they have a flat snout, a dorsal fin triangular and have a very small size in comparison. This species of porpoise, specifically, has the characteristic of having protruding lips.
They are very shy animals that rarely approach human vessels. When they come out to breathe, they do so for very short periods of time.
Where does the vaquita porpoise live?
The vaquita porpoise is known to be endemic to the northern Gulf of California Its distribution area is restricted to the Reserve of the Upper Gulf of California Biosphere and the Colorado River Delta. Its distribution is thought to be so small because this species, unlike other porpoises, is from warm waters and a cold water current limits the outflow of the vaquitas of the gulf area.
Lives in shallow waters, at most, we can find them 40 meters deep. At distances of between 3 and 33 kilometers from the coast, in turbid waters, so the acoustic communication of this species is very important.
What does the vaquita eat?
The diet of the vaquita porpoise is totally carnivorous They feed on a variety of demersal or benthic fish, squid and crustaceans. This is known from data obtained from studies of stomach contents of dead stranded animals.
Why is the vaquita porpoise going extinct?
According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the vaquita porpoise is critically endangered due to several reasons:
- In 1997 the estimated number of vaquitas was 567, since then the population has been reduced by 94%. The main threat is entanglement with gillnets which continues unabated.
- The total population in 2017 was 30 individuals, the number of mature individuals being clearly much less than 50.
- The decrease in the number of individuals is continuous and all mature individuals are in the same subpopulation, so it could occur inbreeding and miss genetic variability.
- In 2015 it was estimated that the probability of extinction in the next 10 years is greater than 50%. Even so, it is believed that the analyzes carried out underestimate the risk of extinction and that the species will disappear much sooner.
How to avoid the extinction of the vaquita porpoise?
To prevent the extinction of the vaquita, the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) was created in 1997 Therefore, this committee has written nine reports with recommendations to prevent the decline of the species. The most important recommendation was to permanently ban the manufacture, possession or use of all gillnets on land or sea throughout the entire region where the vaquita lives.
In June 2017, the permanent ban was published in the Mexican Federal Register that illegalized the use or transportation of gillnets, night fishing and boat entry and exit points were restricted. Despite this, illegal fishing has continued to occur, so the status of the species has not improved.
The CIRVA committee also recommended the transfer of the vaquita porpoises to a sanctuary as quickly as possible. In addition, the vaquita marina is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
