There is hope for the endangered vaquita, as the current counts for this year show an encouraging trend: For the first time, the population is no longer declining. More than a year ago, the Mexican government began placing concrete blocks with steel hooks in the Vaquita protected area in the Gulf of California. These measures have had a significant impact, with a 90% reduction in illegal fishing. Fishermen are now avoiding this area for fear of losing their nets. Due to the success of this measure, the protected area is now being expanded. The Mexican government plans to sink another 152 concrete blocks with steel hooks in the next few months.
We very much welcome this extremely promising development and are also actively working with Pesca ABC to develop and implement alternative fishing methods that ensure that vaquitas no longer end up in the nets as bycatch.
Combined-CSG-letter-and-analysis-re-Vaquita-and-CITES-SC-2023