MEXICO ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR VAQUITA PORPOISE RESERVE

03/25/2019

On March 21, the Mexican government announced that it would use buoys to mark the reserve of the vaquita porpoise in an effort to save the world's most endangered marine mammal. The Environment Department plans to provide social programs and jobs for fishing communities in the upper Gulf of California, where the species resides, and to encourage tourism, fish farms, and better fishing practices. With only roughly 10 vaquitas remaining, some environmental groups stress that more urgent measures are needed to save the species from extinction. Notably, the program is simply proposing to mark the reserve with buoys even though poachers are already aware of the reserve's location. For the full story, see https://www.apnews.com/81743ae58193401598a50e5347055840.