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Watching a vaquita marina porpoise crest the surface of the ocean is a real emotional rollercoaster, says a Canadian scientist who tracks the elusive marine creature.
“It’s one of the most amazing and wonderful experiences – but also sad – when you see one of the rarest mammals on the planet,” said Anna Hall, a marine zoologist from Vancouver Island. As it happens hosted by Nil Koksal.
It’s great, he says, because every vaquita sighting is proof that they’re still around. They are listed as critically endangered, and the last time scientists surveyed their habitat in 2021, they recorded a chance of sightings between five and 13.
But every time he sees one, Hall says “there is sadness that goes with it,” as he has recalled the expedition he went on 20 years ago, when hundreds of small critters swam on the coast of Mexico.
Hall, who works for Sea View Marine Sciences and the Porpoise Conservation Society, is part of a new expedition in search of the rare and elusive creature in its only habitat: the Sea of Cortez off the coast of Mexico.
The expedition was carried out in partnership with the Mexican government and the conservation group Sea Shepherd. The aim is to determine if any vaquitas have survived since the last survey of the dwindling population two years ago.
“I was asked before I left Canada why I would go and do that when the chances of seeing him were so slim,” Hall said. “And my answer is, well, because I care so much for this creature and the other creatures in the ocean.”
Between May 10 and May 27, the group will travel the Sea of Cortez on a Sea Shepherd boat and a Mexican boat, and use binoculars, viewing devices and acoustic monitors to try to determine the location of the vaquitas.
Vaquitas are cetaceans that are about 140 to 150 centimeters long. Because it’s so rare, there aren’t many good photos. But Hall said they looked like small dolphins with black circles around their mouths and eyes.
“He’s really funny,” she said, referring to the “little noises” he makes while on air.
“They are one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet, and I am truly honored and privileged to be on this expedition.”
What kills vaquitas?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Naturewhich collects international data on the species’ population, there were 567 vaquitas in 1997. By 2008, the number had dropped to 245 – a 57 percent loss.
By 2021, Hall said there will be “maybe 10.” It is difficult to say exactly how many, because they are small and often visible from a distance. It can be difficult to determine if a sighting is, indeed, a vaquita, how many there are, or if you’ve seen the same one more than once.
The reason for that dramatic decline, Hall says, is simple. They are caught in gillnets – large walls of nets used by local fishermen.
Gillnet fishing has been illegal in Mexico since 2017 in direct response to the vaquitas’ dwindling numbers, but Hall said the industry has continued to grow illegally.
Vaquitas are not the target of fishermen. They just happen to share a habitat with the totoaba, a fish with a swim bladder that is considered delicious in China and can fetch thousands of dollars per kilogram.
Can they bounce back?
Sea Shepherd has been working in the Gulf alongside the Mexican Navy to prevent illegal fishing in areas where vaquitas were last seen.
Fishing is prohibited in the area. However, illegal fishing boats are often seen there during scientific expeditions.
Pritam Singh, chairman of Sea Shepherd, said a combination of patrols and the Mexican Navy’s plan to sink concrete blocks with hooks to snare illegal nets had reduced the number of hours fishing vessels spent in the restricted zone by 79 percent by 2022, compared to the previous year. to the previous year.
“The last 18 months have been really impactful and encouraging,” he said.
But Hall said they won’t know if these efforts are working until they go out to sea to look for vaquitas.
Any sighting at all will be a relief, she said. But the best case scenario is that they find the mother and the calf.
“This will tell us that biologically in the population, we still have males and females,” he said.
But the only way to ensure their continued existence is to protect their habitat, he said. It is because they cannot survive in captivity.
“We can’t stand being locked up,” he said. “He’s just so fragile.”
He says that vaquita conservation is a frustrating job, because there are no challenges, even if they should be immediate.
“All we need is to have a place in the ocean, in the vaquita habitat, that is free of nets,” he said.
“In some ways, this is a very simple solution, but it is one of the most complex conservation challenges facing the planet.”
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