Sea 'panda' survey: Vaquitas still exist, but barely

[Judi Lynn]

In this handout picture released by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a vaquita porpoise swims during a census mission run by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Mexican authorities as part of the efforts to save the endangered vaquita porpoise near San Felipe, in the Gulf of California, Baja California State, northwestern Mexico, on May 20, 2023. — AFP pic

Thursday, 08 Jun 2023 7:31 AM MYT

MEXICO CITY, June 8 — The vaquita, a small porpoise on the verge of extinction, is still hanging in there, said scientists yesterday who had spotted about a dozen specimens of Mexico’s “panda of the sea” on an expedition in May.

The vaquita is the smallest of all porpoises, similar to dolphins but with shorter beaks and more rounded bodies. They perish in nets used to illegally catch totoaba, large fish whose swim bladders — organs used to control buoyancy — are believed in China to hold medicinal powers.

Scientists conducting a survey of the vaquita’s endemic range in the Gulf of California off Mexico’s north coast — spotted between 10 and 13 of the porpoises last month, they reported yesterday.

“We estimated that the sightings included 1-2 calves and there was a 76 per cent probability that the total number seen, including calves, was between 10 and 13 individuals,” said a report issued by the NGO Sea Shepherd spearheading vaquita conservation efforts.

More:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2023/06/08/sea-panda-survey-vaquitas-still-exist-but-barely/73143

[Judi Lynn]

1. Against the odds, world's most endangered porpoise resists extinction in Mexico's Gulf of California

Against all odds, the remaining handful of Mexico’s endangered vaquita porpoises are holding on in their only habitat in the Gulf of California

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press
June 7, 2023, 1:02 PM

MEXICO CITY -- Against all odds, the remaining handful of Mexico’s endangered vaquita porpoises are holding on in their only habitat in the Gulf of California, according to a new research expedition report released Wednesday.

Experts on the expedition estimate they saw from 10 to 13 of the tiny, shy, elusive porpoises during nearly two weeks of sailing in the gulf last month.

That is a similar number to those seen in the last such expedition in 2021. Because they are so small and elusive, many of the sightings through powerful binoculars are categorized as probable or likely. The animals also emit “clicks” that can be heard through acoustic monitoring devices.

Experts from Mexico, the conservation group Sea Shepherd and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they sighted at least one and probably two calves, as immature vaquitas are known, raising hopes for the survival of the world’s most endangered marine mammal.

They said there may be more vaquitas out there, since the voyage covered only part of the creature’s habitat in the gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez. It lives nowhere else, and the species cannot be captured, held or bred in captivity.

More:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/odds-mexicos-endangered-vaquita-porpoise-holds-99908307