A recent report published by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) paints an alarming picture of the ongoing struggle to save the world’s smallest whale from extinction. None of the previous efforts have halted the decline of the endangered vaquita porpoise, and unless immediate and drastic actions are taken by the Mexican government, extinction is now all but inevitable. But conservationists have not given up the fight.
Extinction imminent The world’s most endangered marine mammal is racing towards extinction. It is very likely that only about 30…
A report published recently by the Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) points towards the decline of vaquita at a much higher rate than previously estimated. A review of acoustic monitoring data gathered between 2011 and 2014 shows an average estimated annual rate of decline of 31%, compared to the 18.5% annual decline estimated for the 2011 to 2013 sampling period. The higher average is the result of a very low number of vaquita detections in 2014.