Experts hope for a recovery of the cetacean, threatened by illegal fishing and boats that cross its habitat. In 1997 there were almost 600 vaquitas, in 2016 there were 60, until at least the 13 specimens found by experts this spring.
The main threat is illegal fishing nets in the Gulf of California area, where vessels go inside to catch fish species that have a high market value. Vaquitas also suffer from the constant presence of boats in the area, against which they are hit and killed.