2014, quite a year.

I’m sure this year was crazy for everyone in some way.

From the loss of Robin Williams to the Ebola outbreak, we have had a lot on our minds this year. However, many people had something new on their minds in 2014: the Vaquita.

This year was action-packed for our little hero. International Save the Vaquita Day was a smash hit, and everything was looking up with last year’s Official Norm law in mind. But this summer, we all took a blow to the gut: a new study showed only 97 Vaquitas remained.

It’s over then, right? 97? That’s too low to recover from. Especially if the government doesn’t make any changes. Well, they did change, but not for the better. They announced recently that they were NOT implementing a mandatory ban on gillnets in the Vaquita’s range, which is their only chance for survival. Not one person was able to stay completely optimistic at this point, and for good reason. It was basically over. Despedida, Vaquita.

But then, on the 25th, in what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, the unthinkable happened. The Mexican government announced a $37 million plan for a two-year ban on all gillnets in the Vaquita’s range, giving Muskwa enough time to perfect the Vaquita-safe nets as well as develop a long-term plan. Not only will the fishermen be paid to not fish, they can be paid to monitor the water for illegal fishing, therefore, in effect, converting the fishermen into “poaching rangers.”

This is the exact development that Vaquita conservationists have been suggesting for years. Now that this law will be in action, it is truly crunch time for us. Muskwa will be perfecting a cheaper and more effective Vaquita-safe net to distribute to the fishermen after the ban is over, as well as carrying out five other plans. All of us in the field of Vaquita conservation will be hard at work making the most of this valuable opportunity given to us by the Mexican government.

V-log had its best year in 2014, with over 9,300 views. And I was amazed to see the number of different countries that viewed my blog: 97. Sound familiar?

https://vlogvaquita.com/2014/annual-report/

Here’s to a much better 2015 for the Vaquita, because without that, there isn’t much hope for the species.

¡Viva Vaquita!