These tiny porpoises have been driven to the brink of extinction by illegal fishing nets off the coast of Mexico.  To save them, these nets must be removed immediately.  But the solution isn’t that simple.  Saving these creatures is a race against the clock that requires support from both local and global communities. Image below: aquariumofpacific.org

By: Elizabeth Parker

The Totoaba in Traditional Asian Medicine

Our story begins with a fish.  The totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) has been listed as critically endangered.  This marine fish, endemic to the Sea of Cortez, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, measures two meters in length and weighs up to 100 kilograms (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2015).  What was once an abundant species has declined by 95% in the past sixty years.  This is due to illegal poaching for the animal’s swim bladder (IUCN, 2017).  The swim bladder is a fish’s buoyancy control organ.  Unfortunately, it is erroneously believed in traditional Asian medicine to have healing properties capable of curing ailments from liver disease to arthritis (Morrell, 2017).  Just one kilogram of totoaba swim bladder, or maw, fetches an average of $8,500 USD in the black market (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018).  Though its medicinal value has been debunked (Clark, 2004), discrediting these long-standing traditions has clear and complex cultural ramifications.  Imagine that your last opportunity to save a terminally ill family member came in the form of maw.  The wellbeing of a fish on the other side of the world might pale in comparison, particularly if your culture has preached its value for thousands of years.

The acceptance of this medicinal value has caused the demand, and subsequent payout, for totoaba to skyrocket.  Though the Mexican government banned totoaba fishing in 1975 (IUCN, 2017), illegal poaching is prominent after dark.  A mere two kilograms of totoaba swim bladder provide the monetary equivalent of a year of legal fishing in Baja (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018).  It is difficult to villainize the San Felipe fishermen illegally poaching totoaba, especially considering the area’s extreme poverty.

In short, humans have driven the totoaba to the brink of extinction, but cultural considerations cloud the ethics.

Vaquita Bycatch

Totoaba are caught using gillnets: large-mesh nets that are weighted at the bottom and floated at the top, so that they hang vertically in the water column.  When a totoaba tries to back out of the net, it becomes entangled by its gills.  Enter the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a tiny porpoise that shares its range and critically endangered status with the totoaba (WWF, 2018).  Unfortunately, the similarities continue.  Measuring a meter and a half in length and weighing around fifty-five kilograms (WWF, 2018), the vaquita is strikingly similar to the totoaba in stature – and consequently, the likelihood of becoming entangled in gillnets.  All too frequently, vaquita are found as bycatch in gillnets aimed for the totoaba, becoming collateral damage in the process of fishing for swim bladders.  In the past twenty years, illegal gillnets have caused a 95% vaquita population decrease (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018).  

Today, fewer than thirty remain (World Wildlife Fund, 2018).

Gillnet Bans

For the vaquita, in-situ conservation (rescue initiatives that are implemented within an animal’s native habitat) has taken two forms.  First, gillnet use was banned in the Sea of Cortez.  While the principles behind this mandate appear to be effective, flaws have been exposed in practice.

In 2015, the Mexican government passed an emergency two-year gillnet ban throughout the vaquita’s range: the northern Sea of Cortez.  The ban was made permanent in a meeting between President Obama and Mexico’s President Peña Nieto in 2016 (The White House, 2016).  Both presidents agreed to create a vaquita refuge: an area that acted as a no fishing zone (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 2015).  Unfortunately, this program was deemed unsuccessful based on the continued population decline of both the vaquita and the totoaba.  

While further measures must be taken to revive the dwindling vaquita numbers, wildlife trafficking complicates the issue.  No matter how many bans are placed on the use of dangerous gillnets, the high value of the totoaba’s swim bladder drives the black market to continue their illegal practices.  

Compensation Program

The second in-situ conservation initiative for the vaquita was a buyout program encouraging fishermen to change their practices.  In 2008, the Mexican launched and funded the PACE-Vaquita (Species Conservation Action Program) program (Avila-Forcada, Martínez-Cruz, & Muñoz-Piña, 2012).  This program provides increasing levels of monetary compensation to fishermen in exchange for their more conservation-friendly fishing habits (Avila-Forcada, Martínez-Cruz, & Muñoz-Piña, 2012).  As opposed to the gillnet bans, this program is voluntary in nature, giving fishermen the option to participate or not.  While the Mexican government’s dedication to the conservation of these species is admirable, the PACE-Vaquita program has been ultimately ineffective (Bobadilla, Alvarez-Borrego, Avila-Foucat, Lara-Valencia, & Espejel, 2011).  

While the PACE-Vaquita buyout has not restored the vaquita population, that was never its intention.  This program’s value lies in giving options to fishermen rather than forcing their hand.  This kind of voluntary program helps build a stronger relationship with the local community and encourages them to view conservation organizations as their supporters rather than their competition.  Regardless of its inefficiency toward conservation, this buyout is a crucial way to build rapport with the Mexican fishing community.

Vaquita Rescue Operations

With only thirty vaquitas left in existence, it was clear that something more needed to be done (World Wildlife Fund, 2018).  Ex-situ conservation refers to a program that removes a plant or animal from its natural environment in an attempt to aid the species in a controlled environment.  This kind of conservation is most effective when combined with in-situ conservation.  The hostile environment that caused the species’ decline must be resolved before they can return to it.  Though inherently risky, this kind of rescue attempt has proved successful with other species like the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus).  

In 2017, an alliance was formed between the National Marine Mammal Foundation, Chicago Zoological Society, and Marine Mammal Center among other supporting organizations, to rescue as many remaining vaquita as they could (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  In October of that year, ninety experts from nine different countries set out on the Sea of Cortez to locate, capture, and relocate porpoises to a temporary sanctuary (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  Though vaquita are extremely elusive in nature, the first porpoise was collected within just a few days of beginning field operations: a seemingly healthy six-month-old female (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  Unfortunately, she was released back to the gulf due to an inability to adapt to human care (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  Undeterred, the team captured a second vaquita within the following weeks: a mature female who showed fewer indicators of stress (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  Tragically, the animal’s condition took a drastic turn for the worst.  She died shortly after an attempt to hastily return her to the gulf (Vaquita CPR, 2018).  Field operations were immediately and permanently halted.

What Comes Next

The vaquita’s story is complex and tragic.  While humans are ultimately to blame for the species’ decline, we can also be part of the solution.  We have the power to protect the vaquita and totoaba while simultaneously supporting the San Felipe fishing community.  By making a commitment to buy sustainably sourced seafood, you can help vaquitas, as well as countless other species.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program provides recommendations for sustainable seafood and a healthier ocean.  For more information, visit their website or download their app.  

Finally, the momentum that drives vaquita conservation projects is fueled by the voices of people who care about them.  Speak up, and let their story be told before it’s too late.

Elizabeth Parker is a master’s student studying Conservation Biology with Miami University’s Project Dragonfly in conjunction with San Diego Zoo Global.  Her studies focus on marine mammal conservation in San Diego, California.  Additionally, she works with dolphins and sea lions for the National Marine Mammal Foundation.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch http://www.seafoodwatch.org/

Vaquita CPR https://www.vaquitacpr.org/

References

Avila-Forcada, S., Martínez-Cruz, A. L., & Muñoz-Piña, C. (2012). Conservation of vaquita marina in the Northern Gulf of California. Marine Policy, 36(3), 613-622.

Bobadilla, M., Alvarez-Borrego, S., Avila-Foucat, S., Lara-Valencia, F., & Espejel, I. (2011). Evolution of environmental policy instruments implemented for the protection of totoaba and the vaquita porpoise in the Upper Gulf of California. Environmental Science & Policy, 14(8), 998-1007.

Clarke, S. (2004). Understanding pressures on fishery resources through trade statistics: A pilot study of four products in the Chinese dried seafood market. Fish and Fisheries, 5(1), 53-74.

IUCN. (2017). Totoaba macdonaldi. Red List. Retrieved from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22003/0

Morell, V. (2017). World’s most endangered marine mammal down to 30 individuals. Science. Retrieved from http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/02/world-s-most-endangered-marine-mammal-down-30-individuals

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2015). Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi). NOAA Fisheries. Retrieved from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/totoaba.html

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2018). Vaquita conservation and abundance. NOAA Fisheries. Retrieved from https://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?Divisions=PRD&ParentMenuId=678&id=21640

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2016). Fact sheet: United States-Mexico relations [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/22/fact-sheet-united-states-mexico-relations

Vaquita CPR. (2018). The vaquita porpoise is on the verge of extinction; please help us save them. Retrieved from https://www.vaquitacpr.org/

World Wildlife Fund. (2018). Vaquita. Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/vaquita