entanglements

On 14th August 2021, the Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, Jon Paul Rodríguez sent a letter to members of the Government of Mexico, the Government of the US, Government of Canada, the Trilateral Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Government of China, European Union, CITES...

[caption id="attachment_349871" align="aligncenter" width="975"] A vaquita being tracked within the Zero Tolerance Area and a panga with a buoy for a set gillnet in the background on 17th October 2019. Credit. Todd Pusser. [/caption]   The results of a virtual workshop to use expert elicitation to better estimate...

[caption id="attachment_349755" align="alignright" width="311"] Searching for vaquitas through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's newly purchased 'big eye' binoculars. This specialized scientific equipment is part of an increasing scientific conservation effort by SSCS.[/caption] Despite the many challenges presented throughout an exceptionally difficult year, a few vaquitas continue...

A recently published paper provides etiological analyses of eight vaquita deaths in March and April 2016–2018. Nutritional state, lesions, biotoxins and levels of contaminants in fat were considered. Injuries to the seven vaquitas found dead (the eighth animal was the healthy adult female that died...

A video (see below) has come to light that was taken by a fisherman in the upper Gulf of California and which shows a dead vaquita entangled in a fishing net.  The video is determined to be authentic and was recorded in early March 2020. [video width="1920"...

As a review, the 2018-2019 totoaba net-removal effort was greatly reduced due to violent attacks where net-removal vessels were forced to leave the area (Table 1).  Press releases including video of the attacks are available here for the January 9th attack and here for the...