Overview
The vaquita, the world’s smallest and most endangered marine mammal, faced imminent extinction in 2017 with fewer than 30 individuals remaining in Mexico’s Gulf of California. #VaquitaPorpoise documented desperate last-ditch conservation efforts to save the species from extinction.
Significance
Vaquitas only live in a 1,500-square-mile area in the northern Gulf of California. They die as bycatch in illegal gillnets set for totoaba fish (whose swim bladders sell for up to $100,000 in Chinese black markets). Despite gillnet bans, enforcement proved impossible against cartel-controlled fishing operations. By 2022, estimates dropped to fewer than 10 individuals.
Failed Rescue Attempt
In 2017, conservationists attempted to capture remaining vaquitas for captive breeding (VaquitaCPR project). After one captured female died from stress, the effort was abandoned. The species’ shy nature and gillnet threat meant captive breeding was impractical — only eliminating illegal fishing could save them.
Conservation Tragedy
The vaquita’s plight represents conservation’s darkest scenario: knowing exactly how to save a species (remove gillnets), having resources available, but failing due to criminal activity and governance failures. Mexico’s government faced international condemnation for inadequate enforcement, yet illegal fishing continues.
Sources: