INAPESCA promotes the use of the experimental trawl net (RSN-INP-MEX) as part of the efforts to protect the Vaquita. This net has been tested since 2008 in the Upper Gulf of California.
Monthly Archives: January 2012
Orca Network’s Ways of Whales
Viva Vaquita will have a presence this Saturday at the Ways of Whales Workshop on Whidbey Island, Washington. The event is sponsored by Orca Network. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by!
Largest fin
Proportionally, the Vaquita has the largest dorsal fin of all the porpoises.
Conquered by net
A Vaquita inhales the ripe sea air,
Causing a scare.
After a pause he rolls into the deep.
Downward he creeps.
Through the kelp and grass he winds to and fro,
Swiftly he goes.
He locates and chases a huge plump grunt.
He’s on the hunt.
He catches the fish and travels due west;
He does not rest.
Caught in a trap, he whines, wiggles, and frets.
Conquered by net, conquered by net.
100 feet
Vaquita are rarely seen in water deeper than 100 feet. In fact, sometimes they go into water so shallow that their backs have to protrude from the surface!
Whale watching
Join the American Cetacean Society Monterey Bay chapter for a Gray Whale watching adventure this Sunday, Jan. 22. This is an annual event with all proceeds generously donated by Monterey Whale Watching to ACS to help fulfill the mission of research, education and conservation of whales and dolphins for only $35. Reservation info here: http://starrsites.com/acsmb/tripwntr.htm.
Cinquain
Vaquita
Timid, Grey
Echolocate, Dive, Swim
Vaquita need your help.
Endangered
*I am excited to say I am getting my non-Vaquita poem, The Egg, published in a poetry book! I recommend checking out the website, http://www.poeticpower.com/. You can read the poem below:
The Egg
An egg was on the dunes of the lovely beaches of St. June’s.
One fine day the egg had split, a tiny beak popped out a bit,
Out came a little gull, of which species, I can’t recall.
Covered with fluff, not very tough,
The chick was rather pathetic.
Feathers bold, feathers long, the mother was firm and strong,
And to the most extent, athletic.
As the years passed, the chick grew too.
The sun at full blast, he flew and flew.
He flew and flew where blue met blue.
Salt whipping at his face,
He raced and raced and raced and raced.
The beautiful gull had crossed the sea
And found a spot beneath a tree.
He got a mate, not a second late,
On the lovely beaches of Regg.
They dug a ditch, the female flinched.
And then she laid an egg.
Male and female sizes
Female Vaquita are larger than males. The females grow up to 5 feet, while the male is only 4.6 feet.
Almost gone
Vaquita are:
Acrobatic swimmers
Quiet
Underwater Pandas
Innocent yet killed
Timid and shy
Almost gone
How to help
According to Viva Vaquita, some ways YOU can help the Vaquita are:
Tell all your friends and family about the Vaquita.
Support conservation measures and vote for politicians with a good environmental record.
Support the Mexican economy by traveling to Mexico.
Do not buy shrimp or fish caught with gillnets.
Write your elected officials and tell them to help the Vaquita.
Write a letter to the President of Mexico and tell him to save the Vaquita. Felipe.Calderon@presidencia.gob.mx
Send Vaquita drawings to the United Nations, asking them to support Vaquita conservation efforts by Mexico.
ExecutiveOffice@unep.org
Send a message to the Mexican government to show your support for the Vaquita! Below are the most relevant agencies and links to their online suggestion boxes:
SEMARNAT (Ministry of Natural Resources)
http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/Pages/buzonciudadano.aspx
CONANP (Commission of Natural Protected Areas)
http://www.conanp.gob.mx/buzon.php
Donate to the Vaquita Recovery Fund!
http://www.vivavaquita.org/donations.htm