A recent death of rare vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of Mexico creates an uproar among the conservationists. This rare species is currently the most endangered cetacean in the world.
According to the Phys.org, the environmental protection authority in Mexico reported on Wednesday about the painful demise of a rare vaquita porpoise. With this incident so far the total number of deaths of this mammal increases to four in 2017. This incident raises a number of serious concerns.
Just a few months ago in February, the scientists warned that only 30 vaquitas were left. But, the current situation indicates that the coming days will be very crucial for this rare species. This mammal is the smallest porpoise of the world that are visible in the Gulf of Mexico. The latest trend shows that this rare species will face extinction by 2022.
A recent statement reveals that the remains of the dead vaquita were surfaced on Tuesday. The experts failed to determine the sex of this mammal from the decomposed remains. They could only measure the length of this cetacean and it was 115 centimeters.
While examining the vaquita, the experts noticed cuts and the lacerations in the body of this dead mammal. These two signs indicate that most probably this cetacean was trapped in the net. A huge possibility exists that this may be the key reason of its death.
Authorities reveal that so far a huge number of vaquitas breathed their last after being trapped in the gillnets. Gillnets are mainly used to catch the totoaba, another endangered species, illegally. The Totoaba is a large marine fish and they mainly exist in the Gulf of California in Mexico.
The demand of totoaba has grown thousand fold after the increasing use of its dried swim bladder as a part of delicious food in China. Every year smugglers catch this endangered species and ship them to China to earn a huge amount of money. Now like the vaquita porpoise, this marine fish is also facing a serious threat.
The current President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, has already taken some praiseworthy initiatives. The deployment of the navy in 2015 to cease the illegal fishing and to enhance the protection of the vaquitas is a good step. Even a ban on the use of gillnets is imposed for two years. To increase the efficiency of the initiatives, drones are also jointly working from the last year.
According to BBC News, scientists and the Mexican authorities are desperately trying to save the vaquita porpoise. Last year a collective initiative helped them to remove a huge number of lost nets that were floating in the sea. The local fishermen and the conservationists played a significant role to monitor this cetacean in the Gulf of California.
Apart from this, the Mexican government has also announced an effective plan on April 4, 2017. According to the plan, some vaquitas will be given temporary refuge. Meanwhile, the environment ministry of the state wants to carry on the required efforts with the help of the international conservation groups.
A real painful fact is like the vaquita porpoise many other species will also face the extinction problem in near future. The shocking fact is, very few people on earth are ready to pay attention to this bitter truth. Concrete step with strong willpower can only bring the fruitful result.
