I have put together a travel itinerary for a vacation to Mexico for a Vaquita enthusiast. Please check it out and consider taking a one-week getaway using my outline for ideas. This vacation is designed to provide maximum enjoyment for you and maximum publicity and assistance for the Vaquita:
Tag Archives: travel
Traveling to the Gulf
If you are planning a vacation and are having a difficult time deciding where to go, put the Upper Gulf of California on top of that list. Even if you are not planning on going on vacation, maybe you should just to take a load off and kick back with a martini. One of the largest factors in Vaquita conservation is the economic success of Mexico and its ex-fishermen. Here is a little paragraph from vaquita.tv:
“Support local economies – Now that many of the fishermen are retiring from fishing and starting new businesses, it is important to support them in their new endeavors. If you travel to the area try staying in any of the ecological lodges, or maybe have a nice meal in a restaurant set up as part of the vaquita conservation program. Many of the fishermen are now entering into the ecotourism industry so make sure your sightseeing or fishing trip is set up with one of them. For a list of some of the new businesses in the region you can visit CEDO’s web page, or simply ask around and people will point in the right direction. Remember that the more support these communities receive, the better chance we have of keeping the waters gillnet free.”
This site is one of the best Vaquita resources on the planet, so you should definitely pay it a visit. Maybe even pay a visit to Mexico.
She was beautiful
Sun made its way
to her back,
Casting a morphing shadow
on the powdery sand.
Bubbles slipped out of her lungs,
dancing to the swirling surface.
She rose up
toward the beckoning sun.
Her blowhole inhaled
the salty air,
Refilling her lungs
like a balloon.
She noticed a ship
in the distance.
Binoculars and cameras faced her,
flashing.
She floated in glory,
admired by the many people.
She was beautiful.
Pip
A fisherman’s name was Pip.
He owned a beautiful ship.
He wasn’t illegal,
He caught nary a seagull.
Until today. Oh Pip.
Subspecies
There are no known subspecies of Vaquita. This is because they have such a limited distribution in one singular location, with no evolutionary separation. At one point, however, the Vaquita and Burmeister’s Porpoise might have been the same species, millions of years ago.
The Little Cow That Could
I know it is a little late, but I would like to show you a post that a cool guy named Brett Fish wrote about me in December called “The Little Cow That Could.” His article is extremely important to me. He is a very inspiring writer, and I insist you check out the rest of his blog as well.
Lifeless
The boat rocked with every rolling current
As I slowly fed my net into the swirling aqua sea.
I watched as the floats drifted off,
Knowing the next time I would touch them,
I would be hauling hundreds of shrimp onto this deck.
I leaned against the cabin window,
Arms crossed.
I thought of my beautiful family:
My wife and son.
This was for them.
A large mob of gulls swarmed around the boat:
There must have been something in the water.
Spitting tobacco overboard, I began to pull in the net.
Inch by inch,
Foot by foot.
It was too late.
She was already gone.
A dead Vaquita lay mangled in the mesh,
Lifeless and dripping in blood from the lacerations.
I sat down on the deck and began to cry.
Other names
Some other names for the Vaquita are Cochito, Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise, Gulf of California Porpoise, Gulf Porpoise, Hafenschweinswal, and Marsouin du Golfe de Californie.
Bears, fish, and a porpoise
In bamboo forests Pandas dwell.
They’re shy and hidden, but we know them well.
Anglerfish live undersea in glory.
They’re rarely seen, but strangely, same story.
Why don’t people know about the Vaquita?
Because few of us have gotten to meet ‘er.
The fact is, though, we’ll never get to see one
Unless we immediately start to save ’em.
Let’s not wait another night:
Click the link to Cetos, on the right.→
V-log 