A Sustainable Future for Vaquita Porpoises and Communities
Dedicated to preserving the world’s most endangered marine mammal through empowering sustainable fishing and citizen science in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California.
The vaquita porpoise is found only in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California
Formerly found throughout the Biosphere Reserve, the population has crashed over 98% since 2011 to possibly fewer than ten animals remaining in the Vaquita Refuge, with the no-fishing no-entry Zero Tolerance Area the core of their range.
A Sustainable Future for Porpoises and People Means Alternatives to Gillnets
Despite being illegal, gillnets are traditional fishing gear and still widely used. Vaquitas are air-breathing mammals, & entanglement means they can’t surface to breathe. Large-mesh gillnets for poaching totoaba fish are the deadliest.
Vaquita porpoises are tiny!
Protecting Porpoises, Empowering Communities
Our conservation efforts with Mexican partner organizations Pesca ABC and Pronatura Noroeste support citizen science conservation and sustainable fishing alternatives to gillnets in vaquita habitat.
Sustainable fishing
We work to develop new fishing gear and techniques to improve community compliance with the gillnet ban in the Vaquita Refuge.
Community Conservation Initiatives
Our citizen science team of local community members is building the expertise needed to find and monitor vaquitas and rescue marine mammals from fishing nets.
Science-Driven Action
Our work is supported by vaquita expert scientists, fishing gear technologists and behavioral anthropologists.