The vaquita is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California. Recent research estimates the population at fewer than 10 individuals. Decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal totoaba fishery. Predation by sharks has also been reported from fishermen.
About Vaquita in brief
The vaquita is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California. Recent research estimates the population at fewer than 10 individuals. The steep decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal totoaba fishery. Predation by sharks has also been reported from fishermen, who have seen whole or parts of individuals in the stomachs of the vaquitas. However, the biggest threat is mainly negative impact on marine mammals, because sharks like predatory sharks reduce its prey’s size and kill it if it is caught in a gillnet. In spite of government regulations, including a partial gill net ban in 2015, illegal fishing remains prevalent in vquita habitat. There is no evidence, however, that these threats have made any significant contribution to their decline, that is still towards the survival of the few remaining vaquitas.
It is possible that there are as few as 10 vquitas alive today. The drastic decline in vaquitis abundance is the result of fisheries by Catch in commercial and illegal gill nets, including fisheries targeting the now-endangered totoama, shrimp, and other available fish species. It has a small body with an unusually tall, triangular dorsal fin, a rounded head, and no distinguished beak. Vaquitas are generalists, foraging on a variety of demersal fish species, crustaceans, and squids, though benthic fish such as grunts and croakers make up most of the diet.
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This page is based on the article Vaquita published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
