SEA SHEPERD : VASQUITA ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION : SEA OF CORTEZ : MEXICO : IT'S POSSIBLE ONLY TEN EXIST!

SEA SHEPHERD ORG : VAQUITA 

SEA SHEPHERD CREWS have spent over a decade in the upper Sea of Cortez defending the Vaquita Porpoise from the brink of extinction. Jacques Cousteau called the region, “the aquarium of the sea”. In spite of being endemic (non-migratory) to these nutrient-rich waters, scientists estimate only ten Vaquita remain today.

TOTOABA : MEXICO'S ENDANGERED FISH : TOTOABA : FISHING ALSO ENDANGERING THE VAQUITA PORPOISE : DUAL EXTICTION DUE TO BYCATCH : SEA SHEPHARD ORG

PORPOISE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Excerpt: Capable of reaching over six feet in length and weighing up to 220 pounds, these fish were once abundant in the region, serving as a staple for local communities and a thriving commercial fishery in the mid-20th century. However, overfishing and habitat degradation have led to a dramatic decline in totoaba populations, pushing them to the brink of extinction. ...

It is the totoaba’s swim bladder, an organ that helps the fish control its buoyancy, that has become the epicenter of a black-market boom. In traditional Chinese medicine, these swim bladders, known as “fish maws,” are believed to have numerous health benefits, including promoting longevity and vitality. This demand has driven up the price of totoaba swim bladders to astonishing levels, earning them the nickname “cocaine of the sea.”

The illegal fishing methods used to catch totoaba, particularly gillnets, have proven disastrous for the vaquita population. Gillnets, designed to catch fish by their gills, are indiscriminate, often trapping and killing vaquitas as bycatch. As a result, the vaquita, already struggling with declining numbers, has become collateral damage in the race to supply the lucrative totoaba trade.
A Dual Extinction

The intertwined fates of the vaquita and the totoaba have given rise to the term “dual extinction,” highlighting the fact that both species are teetering on the edge of oblivion. With the vaquita’s population plummeting to fewer than 20 individuals and the totoaba’s numbers in a critical state, urgent action is needed to prevent both species from disappearing forever.

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SEA SHEPHERD ORG : SHIPS CAPTAINS and CREWS GO AFTER THE WHALE KILLERS

SEA SHEPHERD ORG 

Excerpt: Sea Shepherd protects endangered marine wildlife by mobilizing ships, captains, and crews in their defense throughout the most fragile ecosystems on earth.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide is bigger than the illicit drug trade, and it is devastating the ocean. Our remedy is Direct Action; a collaborative model that partners with governments to push back on decades of exploitation and neglect using ships, technology, tenacity and a relentless commitment to hands-on, daily solutions. We fight the poachers, cartels, and industrial trawlers that break the law, that push species to the edge, and our crews and volunteers work to bring their days of devastating the ocean to an end.