Mexico could face a trade embargo from the United States, in response to the illegal fishing and trade of the totoaba, which has contributed to the death of the totoaba. vaquita marinaone of the endangered species.
An agreement reached in court between environmentalists and Washington states that the Department of the Interior will determine whether Mexico has failed to protect the vaquita.
Why are vaquitas important?
The importance of the vaquitas marinas lies in the fact that They are endemic to the Gulf of California.in the Sea of Cortez, that is, they are only found in that part of the planet, since they prefer warm and shallow waters and are always close to the coast, between 11 and 25 km, says the Institute of Ecology (Inecol). .
This species is solitary and usually travels in groups of two or three individuals and uses echolocation to search for food and identify predators. Vaquitas begin to reproduce at three years of age and live for approximately 20 years.
The main threat for which they are in danger of extinction is the fishing of the totoaba fish, which is sold in the Asian market for supposed medicinal properties. During fishing, the vaquita becomes entangled in the nets, which causes its death, detailed Inecol.
With the most recent scientific study, carried out in October and November 2021 by the MV (motor vessel), it was possible to detect between seven and eight adult vaquitas and between one and two pups.
“They are the ones that could be counted, but there may be other vaquitas because this is a great place. On a map it looks small, but from the sea, it’s huge,” Pritam Singh, president of Sea Shepherd, said in an interview.
With this, despite the drastic reduction of specimens in recent years, the hope is maintained that, thanks to the incombustible work of Sea Shepherd and the collaboration of the Mexican authorities, a gradual growth of this species is being achieved.