Last chance to save the vaquita porpoise from extinction?

[lock_washer]

This porpoise is down to 150 animals left. The Chinese River Dolphin "The Baiji" just went extinct this year.

Extinction Countdown: Last chance to save the vaquita porpoise from extinction?

Easy Reader - The South Bay's Hometown News

There's no problem with pollution affecting this porpoise. It just gill nets taking its toll on this animal. They say that within two years, this porpoise will be gone.

Lock Washer

 

[lock_washer]

Huh...no replies. Guess no interest then.


Lock Washer

 

[vladimir]

Guess no interest then.

Or resignation, perhaps. If it helps, I care.

 

[lock_washer]

Or resignation, perhaps. If it helps, I care.

Thanks...From your profile, I see you are over in Hong Kong. I know the Indo-Humpback Dolphins "The Pink Dolphins" are facing pollution issues living in Hong Kong Harbor. Don't want to see them go the way of the Chinese River Dolphin "Baija" either.

Lock Washer

 

[lock_washer]

Interesting note...there's a similar article about the plight of the Orangutans...

Brookfield Zoo puts spotlight on plight of orangutans -- chicagotribune.com

This a quote from the article itself:
Whales have long dominated "Save the ..." discussions. Recently "South Park" devoted an episode to the slaughter of whales and dolphins. Orangutans could benefit from a better press agent.

"You hit it right there," Zimmerman said. "It's just a matter of getting the word out. The challenge is that we're dealing with an unfamiliar commodity and an unfamiliar part of the world. Indonesia doesn't (get the exposure) that the Amazon does, and what's happening in those forests is equally important. There's a common perception that we can only fight so many battles.


If this animal was a killer whale, dolphin or panda, the world's attention would be all over it. But sadly like the Orangutan, the vaquita gets no attention at all.

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[MiguelAngel]

Saving the Vaquita is much more complicated than just setting laws and rules about how and where to fish in the Sea of Cortez. When the Mexican Goberment set up the Biosphere Reserve of the Upper Gulf of California to protect the Vaquita, it failed to give options on work to several coastal communities that have lived in the area for a long time working as fisherman. Its not that the fisherman are evil or want to kill the vaquitas, fishing is a tradition for them, a way to make a living from the ocean. I have worked with one of the communities in the area and they are more than willing to set aside the old fishing methods as long as a new way to work is made possible to them. Conservation always goes hand in hand with social problems.

 

[lock_washer]

Saving the Vaquita is much more complicated than just setting laws and rules about how and where to fish in the Sea of Cortez. When the Mexican Goberment set up the Biosphere Reserve of the Upper Gulf of California to protect the Vaquita, it failed to give options on work to several coastal communities that have lived in the area for a long time working as fisherman. Its not that the fisherman are evil or want to kill the vaquitas, fishing is a tradition for them, a way to make a living from the ocean. I have worked with one of the communities in the area and they are more than willing to set aside the old fishing methods as long as a new way to work is made possible to them. Conservation always goes hand in hand with social problems.

You don't think it would be viable to bring the Vaquita into captivity to save it? I know the Vaquita is shy around humans. But the Chinese have taken the last of the Finless Porpoise into captivity in their areas of China to save it. Sea World has been successful with their artificial insemination program with killer whales, atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and pacific white-sided dolphins...they are also able to determine the outcome of the sex of the animal too when inseminating them.
I just don't see whatever conservation methods they are trying to be able to save the Vaquita. Their numbers are too small, and its too late at this stage of the game.

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[MiguelAngel]

You don't think it would be viable to bring the Vaquita into captivity to save it? I know the Vaquita is shy around humans. But the Chinese have taken the last of the Finless Porpoise into captivity in their areas of China to save it. Sea World has been successful with their artificial insemination program with killer whales, atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and pacific white-sided dolphins...they are also able to determine the outcome of the sex of the animal too when inseminating them.
I just don't see whatever conservation methods they are trying to be able to save the Vaquita. Their numbers are too small, and its too late at this stage of the game.

Lock Washer

The main problem with trying to breed or even raise the vaquita in captivity is that as of today not a single one of this animals has been able to be kept in captivity. Not saying it can't be done, it's just that it hasn't been done and I haven't heard of anyone, local or foreign bringing up a proyecto to try that.
The main conservation plan to proctect this cetacean was to create the Marine Biosphere Reserver of the Upper Sea of Cortez. This meant putting restrinctions on resource use ( fishing in particular ) in that area. The thing is that by doing that entire communities are having to find new ways to make a living since they were fishing communities by tradition. By this, I don't mean to imply that the loss of a species is validated for the survival of a community. Just showing how conservation has to go hand in hand with resolving the social issue as well. Educate, teach, show the people why they should proctect the enviroment and they will do it, impose it on them and ....well so far its not working.

 

[lock_washer]

Saw this article today about the Finless Porpoise in Asian now going extinct...

BBC - Earth News - Finless porpoises in China on brink of extinction

There's a couple of aquarium in China and Japan that do have them on display.

Lock Washer