During a recent meeting, the Intergovernmental Panel on Sustainability in the Upper Gulf of California reported that, in the first two hydrophone surveys of the year, 41 acoustic encounters with the vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) were recorded, confirming that this critically endangered species still inhabits the Upper Gulf of California.
Unfortunately, based on this data, the current vaquita marina population was estimated to number between six and eight individuals. An analysis of extinction risk factors identified gillnets, used to catch totoaba, as the primary threat. However, other factors also play a role, such as the decline in the flow of the Colorado River and pollution from agricultural lands.
That’s why every July 18th is World Vaquita Day, a date proclaimed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise awareness about the critical situation of this species and promote its conservation.






