Vaquita

Source: NDTV

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

• Vaquita porpoises are thus near threatened, and number between 6-8 in the wild in the Gulf of California in Mexico and are threatened with fishery related extinction.

Details

About Vaquita:

• Endangered Status:
  • The Vaquita is an endangered species of a porpoise which means today there are no more than 10 of them left.
• Discovery and Habitat:
  • Vaquita is very rare and was discovered only in 1958; found only in the Gulf of California, Mexico; typical habitat includes near-shore and relatively shallow waters.
• Physical Characteristics:
  • Characterized by the black rings around a given fish’s eyes, black blotch on the lips, dark grey on the dorsal side, pale ash colour on the sides and white on the ventral side.
  • Newborns are darker and have a uniform wide grey rim around the back and from the head until the flukes.
• Threats:
  • The major cause of mortality is drowning in gillnets which are employed by poachers in protected waters of MPA’s.
• Population Decline:
  • The population drastically decreased from hundreds to around 10 in the recent years.
• Conservation Efforts:
  • Measures of conservation are Mandatory emphasizing the prohibition of gillnet fishing that is illegal.
• Ecological Significance:
  • Stands for other general threats that occur to cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) in the world.
• Urgency:
  • Conservation measures need to be taken now and to the letter to stop the killing of the vaquita.

Sources:

NDTV

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. The vaquita is a critically endangered marine mammal found in: (a) Indian Ocean (b) Arctic Ocean (c) Atlantic Ocean (d) Gulf of California, Mexico Answer: (d)