Vaquita Porpoises in Danger of Extinction

Photo Credit: Minden Pictures/Alamy Stock via Photo_NewScientist

The vaquita porpoise has survived another year in the Gulf of California as one of the most critically endangered creatures in the world, as ranked by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Every year, the vaquitas’ population falls significantly, mostly due to illegal activities, such as marine poaching and fishing. Despite discouraging results in the past, experts are continuing to work to try to find a way to prevent extinction. As of 2025, fewer than ten vaquitas remain alive globally.

There were nine sightings of vaquitas porpoises in the Gulf of California last year, which was fewer than the 16 sightings recorded in 2023. The non-profit group Sea Shepherd suggests that there are only six to eight vaquitas left, according to a survey conducted in May 2024.

In the past decades, the porpoise population has faced a significant decline, with over 600 individuals in 1990 to single digits now, according to Mongabay. 

One of the main causes of their endangerment is illegal gillnet fishing for another endangered species of fish called the Toboaba, whose prized swim bladders are an important ingredient in some traditional medicines.

The use of gillnets relies on entangling the fish’s gills to inhibit breathing, however during this process, the vaquitas are sometimes mistaken for Toboabas.

The vaquita's decline is also attributed to habitat loss, caused by human coastal development, waste, and chemical runoff into the ocean. In addition, global warming and climate change leave them in passive trouble. The rising temperatures reduce oxygen in the air, and rising sea levels could eventually contaminate freshwater from nearby sources that are crucial in mixing with seawater in the vaquitas’ habitat. 

Currently, many groups are working hard to protect the porpoises. In 2017, the Government of Mexico implemented a law to ban gillnet fishing in the Gulf of California, with strict enforcement in areas where vaquitas are most active, known as the Zero Tolerance Zone. However, illegal activities remain prevalent. 

Now, that area is part of the United Nations World Heritage Site monitored by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). In addition, earlier this year in May, the region’s Intragovernmental Group on Sustainability (GIS) conducted an acoustic monitoring off the coast of San Fellipe, Baja California, according to Mexican News Daily. 

Acoustic monitoring involves the detection of sounds from wildlife, in this case, the vaquita, using sound recorders and detectors. These sound waves are undetectable by the human ear and are being recorded into a program that can map out their locations.

Further on, Sea Shepherd continued to monitor the area to conduct a population census as part of its Operation Milagro, conducted annually. They have been in partnership with the Mexican government since 2015. 

Located in the upper areas of the Gulf of California, vaquita porpoises are a very integral part of the ecosystem. They are a predator that survives by feeding on smaller fish, squid, and crustaceans, and are also preyed on by the apex predators such as sharks and orcas; this way, vaquitas help balance the ecosystem.

The nearing extinction of vaquitas also poses problems for other species. For example, an ecological phenomenon called a trophic cascade occurs when the removal of a predator can cause many of its prey to overpopulate the environment. The problem of competition over food and other more severe consequences could be significant.

Evidence also suggests that there may be unexplored areas where the vaquitas may take shelter, and there could potentially be other areas that need protection. According to Marina Robles, Mexico’s Deputy Minister of Biodiversity and Restoration, “there is a juvenile that had not been seen for six or eight years, and that tells us that there may be other areas that are being used as refuge by the vaquita.”

During the Sea Shepherd survey press conference, Dr. Barbara Taylor, leader of the comprehensive evaluation, told reporters that “while these results are worrying, the area surveyed represents only 12% of the total area where vaquitas were observed in 2015. Since Vaquitas move freely within the Vaquita Refuge, we must extend the survey using acoustic detection to determine where the Vaquitas are going.”

Many scientists do not think the population can ever be repaired. For instance, vaquitas have very long pregnancies and require almost a year to give birth. DNA tests indicate that, on top of that, the vaquitas alive today are not genetically diverse, making it difficult to reproduce in large numbers. This can lead to inbreeding, making the offspring weaker and more prone to genetic defects with a lower chance of survival.

Many people have challenged the real commitment of the Mexican government to saving the vaquitas, regarding the astronomical decline of the species in the past decade.

Alex Olivera, a representative for Mexico of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Yahoo News that the vaquitas’ survival is still in “grave doubt.” He believes that the Mexican government should be enforcing stronger conservation policies.

D.J. Schubert, a senior wildlife biologist at the Animal Welfare Institute, concurs. “Given Mexico’s ongoing failures to stop illegal fishing and the trafficking of totoaba, the government remains complacent in the vaquita’s near-extinction,” Schubert said. “Yet — despite Mexico’s 2020 agreement prohibiting the use, possession, transport, and manufacture of such nets — they remain widely used by fishers in the Upper Gulf.”

Some positive progress has been made in environmental regulations and vaquita recovery. The Mexican Secretariat for Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has deployed numerous maritime patrols, ghost net removal teams, and is investing in environmental education and sustainable production.

Currently, many other marine species are facing the same problem as the vaquitas, with Forbes predicting that many shark species could be next. The Greenland Shark, for example, also lost large amounts of its population due to bycatch and human activities, according to Oceans North. They are now classified as a threatened animal.