How Many Vaquitas are Left on Earth? Can We Save the Smallest Marine Mammal in the World?

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) refers to the smallest member of the porpoise family and is also the smallest of all living cetaceans. Their scientific name means "porpoise of the gulf", while its Spanish name "vaquita" is translated as "little cow."

Until 1958, these marine mammals were not discovered or named when three skulls were discovered on the beach. After 65 years, little is still known about their natural history, and our current knowledge is just based on sightings of live animals, necropsies, and observations of stranded animals. They may even become extinct before more is known about them.

How Many Vaquitas are Left on the Planet?

The International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) presents a worrisome outlook in their most recent assessment of the vaquita population. In 2018, CIRVA estimated that only 6 to 22 members remained, but recent estimates predict that this number may have even dropped further.

Today, it is suggested that there are no more than 10 vaquitas left in the wild. Considering that there were 600 members in 1997, it can be concluded that the vaquita population has suffered from a massive decline due to illegal fisheries.

Experts find it hard to estimate the exact number of vaquita due to a number of reasons. First, these animals are elusive and shy by nature. The smallest marine mammals are known for having secretive behavior which make them difficult to spot even for skilled researchers. To estimate vaquita population, alternative methods were developed by scientists such as the use of passive acoustic monitoring.

Another factor is the vaquita's restricted habitat. The Gulf of California is the sole habitat of these animals. This area spans over 62,000 square miles, but vaquitas prefer a much smaller region such as the shallow waters near the Colorado River Delta. The limited and fragmented nature of vaquita habitat makes it challenging to carry out comprehensive surveys.

There are also illegal fishing practices, such as the use of gillnets, which pose the major threat to the vaquita population. Gillnets are designed to catch fish by their gills, but they sometimes trap and kill vaquitas as bycatch.

Additionally, conservation efforts to monitor vaquita population are also limited by a lack of funding and resources. Implementing effective programs requires investments in time, manpower, and technology. Since there are many other endangered species that need attention and funding, the focus on vaquitas sometimes gets overshadowed.

Can We Save the Vaquita Population?

A team of scientists have studied the genetic patterns from vaquita tissue samples which were collected between 1985 and 2017. Using this information, they ran simulations to see the best scenario that could protect the vaquitas and calculate their extinction risk in the next 50 years.

Among all the factors that limit the monitoring efforts of scientists, the use of gillnets pose the greatest threat because they drown the captured porpoises. This means that the removal of gillnets from their habitats could be the best approach to ensure their survival. However, the study also reveals that even the modest use of gillnets can lower the chances of rebounding the vaquita population. If gillnet-related deaths decline by 80%, 62% of their population can still go extinct.

The findings of the study suggest that the survival of individual animals and the entire vaquita species is in our hands. There is a great chance that they can increase in number if they are protected from gillnets and are allowed to recover as soon as possible.