Underneath the smooth, crystal waters of the ocean lie marine animals of all shapes, colors, and sizes, both known and unknown by humans. Fish, whales, sharks, jellyfish, and even miniscule bacteria occupy and live underneath the waves. Despite this, some ocean creatures are slowly disappearing from their ecosystems due to the concept of survival of the fittest and the evolution of humankind and its tactics of economic improvement. A victim of this cause is a saltwater creature known as the vaquita; this species is one of the rarest marine inhabitants that is nearing extinction.
Vaquitas are the smallest of the cetacean family that primarily inhabit the Gulf of California, Mexico. According to Ocean Generations article “Facts About Vaquitas: The Most Endangered Marine Mammal,” Katie Birditt recants how peculiar the discovery of vaquitas turned out to be.
“The vaquita was only discovered in 1958,” Birditt said. “Scientists first described these little porpoises after coming across three skulls found in the Gulf of California, Mexico.”
Despite this gratifying discovery, humans were unaware of what vaquitas were characterized by until locals in the 1980s began calling these creatures by the name of “vaquita,” meaning “little cow” in Spanish.
As marine biologists have analyzed and studied more regarding these fascinating mammals, Leigh Henry of the World Wildlife Fund describes the appearance and structures of vaquitas.
“The vaquita has a large dark ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from the mouth to the pectoral fins,” Henry said. “Its top – the dorsal fin – is dark gray, its sides are pale gray, and its underside – the ventral surface – is white with long, light gray markings.”
Although the vaquita porpoise is a beautiful creature, its lure is likely to not remain in the waters of the gulf for much longer. Both natural and artificial factors of our world create a difficult environment for vaquitas to inhabit, as it harms their species and brings them closer to extinction. Earth.org writer Olivia Lai references the causes of vaquitas’ untimely demise and their shortened existence in the sea.
“…rampant and unregulated fishing practices, particularly the use of gill nets, in its limited habitats have pushed the animal to the brink of extinction with only a mere 10 individuals remaining in the wild,” Lai said. “Bycatching alone…have led to a 94% population decline between 1997 and 2016.”
Bycatching can be defined as unintentionally catching certain types of marine species while attempting to capture another species entirely during commercial fishing. Scientists have analyzed the negative effects that this practice has on vaquitas, as mortality by netting outweighs reproduction of these mammals. NOAA Fisheries reports on this issue due to the gravity these traumatic incidents impose upon the lives of vaquitas and marine biologists’ efforts to save them.
“The most consistent and important recommendation is to permanently ban the manufacture, possession or use of all gillnets on land or sea throughout the range of vaquitas.” NOAA Fisheries said.
Although vaquitas are fascinating creatures, their time on Earth is short lived. As unfortunate as it is, both scientists and advocates for ocean conservation have put effort towards a better understanding and preservation of these marine mammals. Their captivating qualities and uncanny mysteries have been admired by the world and those working to protect them from elimination within their ecosystem.
