A dozen Pacific porpoises, an endangered species, could be observed during a scientific expedition carried out in May in the Gulf of California, off Mexico, where the species is endemic, reveals this June 7 a report by the NGO Sea Shepherd. "We estimate that the observations were on one or two pups and that there was a 76% probability that the total number of animals observed, including the cubs, was between ten and thirteen individuals," says the organization behind the expedition.
To discover
- Podcast Elsewhere: Singapore's hidden surprises and treasures
The mammal, nicknamed "vaquita marina" ("little sea cow") in Mexico, has been considered an endangered species since 1996. She is the collateral victim of the nets of totoaba fishermen, a large silver fish endemic to the Gulf of California, an endangered species whose "bladder-fin" sells for up to $ 8000,<> per kilo in China because of its supposed medicinal virtues. As a result, the vaquita marina population has drastically decreased in recent years.
" READ ALSO Yellowstone : tourists called to order after several accidents with animals
Pressure on the Mexican government
This species has been on the verge of extinction since 1996. Flickr/CC
The scientific expedition took place between May 10 and 26 in an area of the Gulf of California where porpoise lives and where fishing is now prohibited. The Mexican navy placed concrete blocks with rods to deter fishermen from casting their nets. In 2019, UNESCO added the Gulf of California to its List of World Heritage in Danger due to the species' risk of extinction. The international community regularly pressures the Mexican government to strengthen the protection of the species and prevent its extinction. Mexico was sanctioned in March 2023 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for not doing enough to protect the vaquita porpoise, the world's most endangered marine mammal.
According to the Sea Shepherd report, the estimate of a dozen Pacific porpoises "is considered the minimum number of vaquita remaining in the current population." "This estimate is approximately the same as that of October 2021. All individuals observed in 2023 looked healthy," according to the report.
