Mexico accused of failing to protect endangered vaquita marina

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has issued a report accusing Mexico of failing to effectively protect the vaquita marina, the world’s smallest cetacean. The species is facing a critical extinction risk, with current estimates suggesting only six to eight individuals remain in existence. This is a drastic decline from the population of over 500 recorded in 1997.

A primary driver of this decline is the accidental capture of vaquitas in gillnets used for the illegal fishing of totoaba. The totoaba bladder is highly valued on the Asian black market, with prices reaching between $20,000 and $80,000 per kilogram. The report notes that these illegal fishing activities involve local fishers and groups linked to organized crime, and that Mexican authorities have not successfully implemented measures to halt these threats within the species' remaining habitat in the Upper Gulf of California.