Vaquita

  From October 17 through November 3, 2021, a vaquita research effort was privately funded through the Museo de la Ballena y Ciencias del Mar and a number of private donors. The survey focused on the last stronghold of vaquitas, the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA) declared...

[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...

  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).  A press release including video of the attack is available here for the January 31st attack (the press release...