The vauquita - the most critically endangered porpoise in the world
- Kinga Zujko
- Oct 27
- 3 min read
According to the porpoise conservation society there are less than 30 vaquitas remaining in the wild. This makes vaquitas the most critically endangered marine mammal species in the world. What exactly is this creature and why has it come so close to the edge of extinction?
What is the vaquita?
The vaquita (phocoena sinus) is a species belonging to the family of porpoises, vaquita are also the smallest living species of cetaceans. The species inhabits the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, which it is endemic to. The identifying traits of the vaquita are: their small body with an atypically tall triangular dorsal fin, their dark eyes, no distinguished beak. Vaquita also wins “the smallest’’ award in the category of their habitat, as they live only in the shallow waters of the upper parts of the Sea of Cortez. This makes them the cetacean species with the smallest range.
Why is the vaquita species so endangered?
The direct reason for the endangerment of the vaquita is that they are bycatch. They get caught and drown in the gillnests that fishermen set out for other species. Particuraly the totoaba a large species of fish with high demand on the black market, which led to a rise in illicit fishing activities and by consequence made vaquita collateral damage
The fact that the vaquita are endemic to the Gulf of Mexico makes the conversation of the species much harder.The vaquita cannot migrate to another habitat,because like every other endemic species they rely on very specific natural conditions to survive.
To understand the indirect reason we need time travel back to the year 1978. That year the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) placed the vaquita on its red list with status “Vulnerable’’. That was the first time the danger that the species was in got officially recognised, the first action to protect the species followed soon after. In 1985 The US National Marine Fisheries Service added the vaquita to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Despite that in 1990 changed the conservation status “Endangered”. Many conversation efforts were carried out after, including the creation of the biosphere reserve of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta, a two- year ban of gillnet fishing in the entirety of the known vaquita habitat and all of the actions of the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita. Yet right now the population of the vaquita is smaller than it ever has been before. Why is that?
(Illegal) Fishing
We know that the Mexican government had completely banned fishing in some parts of the vaquita habitat and only banned gillnet fishing in others. Based on the state of the species population right now we can also conclude that the ban did not stop the fishermen. Why didn’t it stop them? The answer to that question is remarkably simple: money. But the two sides of the coin, that this answer is, have to be acknowledged. There are two things, which cause people to take part in illegal fishing, either their socioeconomic position forces them to do so or they work for companies so well-off that they can buy themselves out of any trouble.
The solution to this problem is rather complicated as there is in fact no definite solution. When managing problems like this governments have to remember that for some people fishing is the sole source of income. This means that to prevent illegal fishing from happening fishers need a compensation for the financial losses the regulations bring them and large fishing companies have to be taken accountable if they break the law.
Can the vaquita be saved??
The vaquita (phocoena sinus) is a species belonging to the family of porpoises, vaquita are also the smallest living species of cetaceans. The species inhabits the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, which it is endemic to. The identifying traits of the vaquita are: their small body with an atypically tall triangular dorsal fin, their dark eyes, no distinguished beak. Vaquita also wins “the smallest’’ award in the category of their habitat, as they live only in the shallow waters of the upper parts of the Sea of Cortez. This makes them the cetacean species with the smallest range.
What can I do to help?
One of the most important things you could do to help save the vaquita is read this article! Conversation campaigns always try to raise public awareness about the issue as the public’s interest in the subject makes it easier to pass laws and regulation. For those of us who are not citizens of Mexico there are other ways of helping. If you want to, you can symbolically adopt the vaquita species by donating to the Porpoise Conservation Society. You will even get a certificate! However, spreading the word about the vaquita around the world is also of great importance.
Page design: Zofia Kitlas
Bibliography
“Adopt a Vaquita Porpoise.” Porpoise Conservation Society Giving, 30 Mar. 2023, give.porpoise.org/gift/adopt-a-vaquita/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
“Vaquita — Porpoise Conservation Society.” Porpoise Conservation Society, 19 Mar. 2023, porpoise.org/about-porpoises/vaquita. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Porpoise Conservation Society. “Vaquita — Porpoise Conservation Society.” Porpoise Conservation Society, Porpoise Conservation Society, 2015, Accseed 21 Oct. 2025.
NOAA Fisheries. “Can the Vaquita Be Saved from Extinction?” NOAA, 2021, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/podcast/can-vaquita-be-saved-extinction. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Vaquita.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaquita. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
“Nature for Sale: Why Protection of Endemic Species Isn’t Enforced | Journalismfund Europe.” Journalismfund Europe, 2024, Iberdrola. “Endemic Species - Iberdrola.” Www.iberdrola.com, www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/endemic-species. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
NOAA Fisheries. “Understanding Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing.” NOAA, 2019, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
OctoberCMS. “Marine Mammal Monday: Back from the Brink.” Marinemammalcenter.org, 2 May 2022, www.marinemammalcenter.org/publications/marine-mammal-monday-back-from-the-brink. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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