Cetacean Action Treasury
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cetaceanaction.bsky.social
Cetacean Action Treasury
@cetaceanaction.bsky.social
550 followers 830 following 550 posts
Rescuing the vaquita porpoise and securing a sustainable fishing future for the Upper Gulf of California with Mexican partners. www.cetact.org
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Commissioner of @Conapesca @RigoSalgadoV has been holding key consultations re: urgent measures his agency needs to take to support & transition Upper Gulf communities to legal sustainable fishing, stop illegal gillnetting in #vaquita habitat & resolve intl sanctions on Mexico.
Thank you Alex. Our Paypal donation page is here www.paypal.com/donate?hoste...

All individual donations go to support for Mexican partner groups Pesca ABC & Pronatura Noroeste working in San Felipe & Santa Clara, gaining allies in the local communities towards vaquita pride & behavior change.
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The extensive acoustic monitoring efforts of the summer of 2025 leave no doubt that #vaquita now occur well north of the ZTA in the Refuge, but during the visual survey there were only two days with optimal calm Beaufort conditions for searches there & none were seen
Summer 2025 had more acoustic monitoring effort for the #vaquita porpoise than any other season in the entire 15 year history of this pioneering program developed & led by CONANP Mexican scientists supported by technical field skills of San Felipe fishers including Pesca ABC.
Great to have Mexico Marine Wildlife Rescue Center return for recurring training for San Felipe community chapter of the national whale disentanglement network #RABEN with support & participation from ECOBAC, @CONANP_mx, @PROFEPA_Mx, @SEMAR_mx & San Felipe municipal govt.
It sure is, you're absolutely right. Given the technical, socioeconomic, traditional & political obstacles to systemic behavior change, vaquita experts are amazed that not only do some individuals still survive but are also reproducing. The vaquita was predicted to be extinct by now.
3/3 @Claudiashein administration is the first to seriously engage with the fishing community to develop long-term gear & market solutions. But gillnet use in the transitional short term must be done under conditions of legality & transparency & in areas of zero risk to #vaquitas
2/3 Fishers are only given shrimp permits for #vaquita safe 50 foot small trawls which most don't even own & almost all refuse to use. Inspections that look at everything except the actual gear onboard are a waste of resources that could be spent supporting & helping fishers.
1/3 #Vaquita are more protected from gillnets in the Zero Tolerance Area due to deterrents & enforcement, but outside this small safety zone gillnets are being used every day rn for shrimp. Fishers aren't hiding it & neither should the Mexican government & solving it is urgent.
Report by @Fannymiranda26 for @Milenio is autodubbed into English & contains an interview with drone pilot @FabianRguez94 working for @SeaShepherdSSCS, describing how he was able to capture amazing footage Sept 23 of #vaquita mother Frida & her calf despite the fading light 🌄
3) Vaquitas weren't seen very far from ZTA environs in their larger Refuge (see 2⬆️ ) but they were *heard!* there during extensive acoustic monitoring effort (bigger red circles = more clicks), & new depth map suggests they prefer to hunt (clicking) in shallower depths (yellow)
2) Expert elicitation - evidence-based estimates of how many unique animals observed *in the survey area* - produced a generally stable consensus number (7-10) similar to two previous years *and* "probably!" two calves (four separate sightings of mother-calf pairs, purple stars)
Our top 3 good news hot takes on the 2025 #vaquita porpoise survey
🐬🔥🎉
1) Fabulous drone footage, especially Sept 23 of mother Frida (tied for record size at 1.5 meters, & possibly pregnant) swimming with her estimated year old calf. Evidence of population reproduction ♀️♂️!
Many Mexican seafood fisheries will be banned from exporting to US under #MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act after Jan 1. While some need to start from scratch to develop bycatch mitigation measures, in Upper Gulf it is matter of compliance with #vaquita safe gear & policies.
Know your logo
The Upper Gulf and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve is the most special place in the world, imho
#vaquita #vaquitamarina
2/2 Register here to join the English translation of the October 28 #vaquita porpoise survey results presentation

seashepherd.org/vaquita-survey/
2025 Vaquita Survey
seashepherd.org
1/2 Dr. Barb Taylor, leader of annual #vaquita survey, shares a few details ahead of the Oct 28 2025 results release including the mother named Frida was seen for 3d year in a row & sonar bathymetry was used to map #Vaquita Refuge depth & seafloor sediment ridges, known to be preferred microhabitat.
2/2 @PROFEPA_Mx "The participation of a group of community monitors from San Felipe, Baja California, supported by @FondoMexicano has been essential in carrying out these rescue campaigns for specimens trapped in fishing nets."
www.gob.mx/profepa/pre...
1/2 Kudos to @pescaabc & all partners for good results from hard work last week to capture anesthetize, disentangle, treat, mark & release sea lions on Roca Consag island 🦭✂️
One young female was a recapture, rescued twice. Six other previous patients observed in good condition
x.com/PROFEPA_Mx/...
Upper Gulf beach cleanups organized by our partners @CONANP_mx @PronaturaNoroes @pescaabc
Tomorrow Saturday October 25 from 8-10 am
🚮🏖️
2/2 At the last meeting #SC78 the European Union & member states were among the Parties supporting the @CITES Secretariat's assessment that Mexico was making progress on its action plan & recommendations that Mexico continue reporting on implementation for next month's meeting.
1/2 European Parliament has called on the @Cites Secretariat to issue a recommendation for Parties to suspend trade with Mexico for failing to complete its #vaquita #totoaba action plan but this position unlikely to find support from European Union & its members states' because
x.com/ernesto_men...