Last month’s headline was “Three dead Vaquitas found.”
In a very welcome twist of fate, this month’s headline is the exact opposite.
From April 11 to 14, Drs. Barbara Taylor and Jay Barlow joined the crew of the Sea Shepherd M/Y Farley Mowat. Their goal was to spot Vaquitas, and they accomplished this goal in a big way. Between April 12 and 13, they spotted three separate Vaquitas, igniting even more optimism and hope for the future of this species.
However, these three individuals were seen in areas that are known to currently host rampant illegal fishing activity.
Click here to read more.
Sea Shepherd also used a drone to spot poachers using a gillnet at night. The fishermen quickly fled (their location was relayed to the Mexican Navy) and left their net behind, which Sea Shepherd retrieved from the water. Two scalloped hammerhead sharks and four cownose rays were already entangled, and unfortunately, the endangered hammerheads could not be saved. Since January, Sea Shepherd has removed 40 illegal gillnets and 13 longlines from the Vaquita’s range.
Sadly, Sea Shepherd is departing from the Gulf of California in the first week of May.
They will be arriving in San Diego on May 6, and we would like to give them a global “thank you” celebration for all of the amazing work they have done, and to show them that their efforts in the northern Gulf are highly appreciated (and desired again in the very near future). More updates to come on this.
From May 10 to 14, the 7th meeting of CIRVA, the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, will take place. The focus of this meeting will be the publication of the latest population estimate, based on acoustic surveys and the fall 2015 expedition.
A new course of action will be discussed based on this new estimate, and we all hope that the number is higher than expected/feared.
Regardless of the new population estimate, we will continue our efforts will full force. Our main goal is for the Mexican government to agree to our petition to make the gillnet ban permanent, and we can’t accomplish this without your help. Please sign and share this petition. For the Vaquita.
V-log 
I just saw the 60 minutes report on Vaquitas. This surprised me when I spotted 3 marine mammals that looked like dolphins but half the size of them. They looked much darker than the light grey color dolphins have. I saw these animals in Islamorada, FL on our boat swimming from a distance under the water 3 of them together side by side. They never came up for air in the time I spotted them and I waited some time the see if they would surface but they never did. I know they are solely located in the gulf of California. But if there is someone who can pass this tip to the Florida key marine and wildlife rescuse it wouldn’t hurt to have an eye out for them.
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Go Vaquitas!!!
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Thank you so much to those that work tirelessly to help save these, and other magnificent animals. Such important animals to our world and hopefully working together, we can save them!
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what a humbling experience to witness first had the rescue of these animals. I’m truly inspired and grateful.
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