Despite claims to the contrary, Mexico’s iconic vaquita porpoise, found only in the Sea of Cortez, lost more than 70 percent of its population during the outgoing president’s six-year term.
Greenpeace Mexico claims that the government is taking credit for conservation actions that have had no effect: The species is now at less than 30 individuals and will be extinct in three years if present trends continue.
The primary driver of vaquita drownings is illegal gillnet fishing of the totoaba, which, ironically, is also a threatened species.
Government attempts to crack down on this practice and help local fishermen find other sources of income have apparently been unsuccessful.
Conservationists look to the incoming government of President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador for what may be the vaquita’s last hope.
Source: Sin Embargo (Mexico)