Scientists set sail to find out if these ‘unbelievably cute’ marine porpoises still exist | 24CA News

Watching a vaquita marina porpoise crest the ocean’s floor is an actual emotional rollercoaster, says a Canadian scientist who tracks the elusive sea creatures.

“It is one of the most amazing and fantastic — yet simultaneously sad — experiences when you get to sight one of the most rare mammals on the planet,” Anna Hall, a marine zoologist from Vancouver Island, informed As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

It’s wonderful, she says, as a result of each vaquita sighting is proof they nonetheless exist. They are listed as critically endangered, and the final time scientists surveyed their habitat in 2021, they recorded possible sightings of between 5 and 13.

But each time she sees one, Hall says “there’s a sadness that goes with it,” as she’s reminded of expeditions she went on 20 years in the past, when a whole lot of the little critters swam off the coast of Mexico. 

Hall, who works for Sea View Marine Sciences and the Porpoise Conservation Society, is a part of a brand new expedition to seek for the uncommon and elusive creatures of their solely habitat: the Sea of Cortez off the coast of Mexico. 

The expedition is being carried out in partnership with the Mexican authorities and the conservation group Sea Shepherd. Their purpose is to find out whether or not any vaquitas have survived for the reason that final survey of their dwindling inhabitants two years in the past.

“I was asked before I left Canada why would I go and do such a thing when the chances of seeing them are so low,” Hall mentioned. “And my answer was, well, because I care so very deeply for these creatures and the other creatures in our ocean.”

Between May 10 and May 27, the group will journey the Sea of Cortez in a Sea Shepherd vessel and a Mexican boat, and use binoculars, sighting units and acoustic screens to attempt to pinpoint the placement of vaquitas. 

Vaquitas are cetaceans which are about 140 to 150 centimetres lengthy. Because they’re so uncommon, there aren’t many good images of them. But Hall mentioned they give the impression of being sort of like small dolphins with black circles round their mouths and eyes. 

“They are unbelievably cute,” she mentioned, remarking on the “little huffing sounds” they make once they come up for air. 

“They are one of the most endearing creatures on the planet, and I am truly honoured and privileged to be here on this expedition.”

What’s killing the vaquitas?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which gathers worldwide knowledge on species populations, there have been as many as 567 vaquitas in 1997. By 2008, that quantity dropped to 245 — a lack of 57 per cent.

By 2021, Hall says there have been “maybe 10.” It’s laborious to say precisely what number of there are, as a result of they’re small and infrequently seen from far-off. It will be laborious to inform whether or not a sighting is, certainly, a vaquita, what number of there are, or whether or not you’ve got seen the identical yet one more than as soon as.

The cause for his or her dramatic decline, Hall says, is easy. They get entangled in gillnets — massive partitions of netting utilized by native fishermen.

Gillnet fishing has been unlawful in Mexico since 2017 in direct response to the vaquitas’ dwindling numbers, however Hall says the business has continued to thrive illegally.

The vaquitas usually are not the fishermen’s goal. They simply occur to share a habitat with totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is taken into account a delicacy in China and might fetch 1000’s of {dollars} per kilogram.

Can they bounce again?

Sea Shepherd has been working within the Gulf alongside the Mexican Navy to discourage unlawful fishing within the one space the place vaquitas had been final seen. 

Fishing is prohibited within the space. However, unlawful fishing boats are often seen there throughout scientific expeditions. 

Pritam Singh, Sea Shepherd’s chairman, mentioned {that a} mixture of patrols and the Mexican Navy’s plan to sink concrete blocks with hooks to snare unlawful nets has decreased the variety of hours that fishing boats spend within the restricted zone by 79 per cent in 2022, in comparison with the earlier yr.

“The last 18 months have been incredibly impactful and encouraging,” he mentioned.

But Hall says they will not know for positive if these efforts are working till they get out on the ocean to search for vaquitas. 

Any sightings in any respect might be a reduction, she mentioned. But the best-case situation might be in the event that they spot a mom and calf.

“That would tell us that biologically within the population, we still have males and females,” she mentioned.

But the one means to make sure their continued existence is to guard their habitat, she mentioned. That’s as a result of they can not survive in captivity.

“Their bodies cannot withstand being confined,” she mentioned. “They are just too fragile.”

She says vaquita conservation is irritating work, as a result of it is endlessly difficult, though it must be simple.

“All we need is to have a space in the ocean, in the vaquita’s habitat, that is free from the nets,” she mentioned. 

“In some regards, it’s a very simple solution, but it is one of the most complicated conservation challenges that we have on this planet.”