The latest estimates based on acoustic and visual surveys point to only between 6 and 22 individuals surviving in 2018. The single most serious threat to the vaquita, and the cause for its rapid decline , is the use of gillnets in the vaquita habitat. A gillnet is a wall of netting that hangs in the water column.
One query we ran across in our research was “Why is the vaquita going extinct?”.
Vaquitas share waters with the much sought-after totoaba fish and fishing nets inadvertently catch and drown the porpoise .
One inquiry we ran across in our research was “Why are vaquita going extinct?”.
Between 30-55 are lost each year. Other than commercial fishing, the Vaquitas are also affected by environmental pollution and habitat degradation because they have such a small habitat. Rivers being dammed upstream also cause for less freshwater in the bay, giving the vaquitas less habitat.
The vaquita will be extinct if fishery bycatch is not eliminated immediately. Nearly one out of every five vaquita get entangled and drown in gillnets intended for other marine species like the totoaba, a critically endangered fish also found in the upper Gulf of California.
So, how many vaquita are left in the world?
The answer is that the vaquita is the most endangered cetacean in the world. With as few as around 10 left, the species will become extinct without a fully enforced gillnet ban throughout their entire habitat. WWF is urgently working to ensure they can live and thrive in their natural habitat.
How are the vaquitas affected by the environment?
Other than commercial fishing, the Vaquitas are also affected by environmental pollution and habitat degradation because they have such a small habitat. Rivers being dammed upstream also cause for less freshwater in the bay, giving the vaquitas less habitat.
The use of gillnets in the vaquita habitat is currently banned throughout the vaquita’s range.
What happens if a vaquita gets entangled?
If a vaquita gets entangled, it only has minutes to free itself. Most animals drown, and those that escape often do so with severe injuries. The use of gillnets in the vaquita habitat is currently banned throughout the vaquita’s range.
What is the difference between a totoaba and a vaquita?
The totoaba is a large species of fish which, like the vaquita, is listed on the IUCN Red List as “critically endangered”.