"Expert marine mammal researchers spotted up to 10 of the porpoises during a recent survey in the Upper Gulf of California. They warn the species remains at risk of extinction until safer fishing gear is developed to prevent deadly entanglements."
"To spot a vaquita porpoise requires calm winds, clear skies and waters smooth as glass. But in September, those conditions were hard to come by off the coast of San Felipe, a small fishing town in Baja California, Mexico. It was hurricane season, and for most of the month strong winds churned up heavy swells as a group of veteran marine mammal researchers conducted an annual survey of the rare marine mammal—a challenging task, even in the best of conditions.
“There’s nothing harder than vaquita to find and to track,” said Barbara Taylor, a biologist from Montana who has been monitoring whales, dolphins and porpoises for more than 30 years. “They’re really, really difficult to see.”
They are only about 4-5 feet long and surface only briefly to breathe. Their small gray bodies blend in easily with the turbid sea. “If there’s any swell they just disappear,” said Taylor, who helped lead the survey. Plus, there’s only a few of them left. The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal on Earth."
Teresa Tomassoni reports for Inside Climate News November 13, 2025.
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