Baja California – Mexico’s federal Environment Secretariat (Semarnat) announced last week that it will expand the “zero tolerance” protection zone for the critically endangered vaquita, according to a report by Daily Mexico.
Semarnat will expand the protection zone, in which fishing activity is strictly prohibited, in the upper Gulf of California. Illegal fishing for the totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is prized in Asia, has been blamed for the near extinction of the vaquita.
In the “zero tolerance” zone, gillnets, used to catch the coveted totoaba fish, are permanently banned, as vaquitas often die after becoming entangled in them. Patrols and surveillance of fishing activity around the exclusion zone are also increased.
“It is estimated that illegal fishing in the zero tolerance zone has been reduced by 79%, so we propose to extend this project four kilometers on two sides of the polygon adjacent to the coastline so that in October of this year they will join 216 cubic meters to the existing 193,” Semarnat said in a statement.
The agency also announced that maritime, land and air patrols will be reinforced “during the months of September and October, corresponding to the shrimp fishing season.”
Semarnat will discuss the modifications with the fishing sector and civil society organizations, since there will be changes in the loading and unloading sites and controlled hours for fishing activity. Work is also underway to build a community totoaba hatchery, which will allow the fish to be raised and marketed in captivity, thus reducing incentives for illegal fishing.
In March, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) sanctioned Mexico for failing to protect the vaquita, preventing member countries from exchanging animals and plants with the country. In April, CITES approved Mexico’s new action plan to improve the protection of the vaquita and revoked the sanctions.
Semarnat’s revised plan includes seven points to prevent illegal totoaba fishing, with 34 objectives presented jointly by Semarnat, the Navy, the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture. The measures include monitoring the boarding sites, preventing unauthorized vehicles and gillnets from entering the “zero tolerance” zone, monitoring the population of the species, and strengthening the strategy to combat illegal totoaba trafficking, among other actions and proposals.
In June, a joint expedition by the Mexican government and the non-governmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society demonstrated that efforts to protect the vaquita appear to be working. Authorities reported a 90% decrease in the use of gillnets and sightings of 10 and 13 vaquita, including a newborn calf. As of 2021, only seven of eight adult specimens and one or two hatchlings were believed to remain.