Mexican government cuts gillnet ban zone by 86% — Daily Maverick

The Mexican government has reduced by 86% the area of the zone in the Gulf of California where fishermen are prohibited from using gillnets. Its area now totals 1,562 square kilometres. The decision concerns the protection of the vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise, which is on the brink of extinction. Daily Maverick reports this.

New boundaries of the protected zone

The current net-ban zone is approximately the size of Greater London. The previous protected area was comparable in size to the U.S. state of Connecticut.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the new boundaries are intended to both protect the biodiversity of the Gulf of California and give fishermen an opportunity to improve their earnings. Authorities said they took into account proposals from the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, a government advisory body, when making the decision.

Marine biologist Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, who was a member of this committee, expressed hope that the smaller zone would help focus efforts to save the animal. According to him, it is difficult to enforce the ban across a large area, including places where vaquitas have not been recorded recently.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Population on the brink of extinction

According to scientists’ estimates, between seven and 10 vaquitas remained last year, including at least one calf. Their population has fallen from about 600 individuals in 1997. One of the main reasons cited is the illegal catch of totoaba: the swim bladders of this fish are highly valued in Chinese medicine, and in Asia they can cost up to $10,000.

Rojas-Bracho also said that if vaquita deaths stop, the remaining animals will have a good chance of rebuilding the species’ population.

Biologist Gerardo Ceballos of the National Autonomous University of Mexico criticised the reduction of the protected zone. He said the country lacks sufficient technical and logistical capacity to monitor compliance with the rules and also expressed the view that the authorities are yielding to pressure from interested groups. In his opinion, even small government spending could ensure the protection of the vaquita, but the species is now heading toward extinction.