Only 92 tiny porpoises called vaquita remain in the wild due to illegal fishing with gillnets. Thousands of fishermen use the long nets to catch shrimp, and an increasing number of illegitimate fishermen catch endangered totoaba fish in the Northern Gulf of California. The Chinese use the totaba fish's bladder in soup as a delicacy and for unproven medicinal properties. Vaquitas end up in gillnets and die as a casualty of shrimp fishing and illegal fishing for totaba.
The Mexican government is testing a two-year ban across 5,000 miles of the Gulf in hopes of restoring vaquita populations. Over the two-year period, researchers will develop safer nets that will allow fishermen to catch shrimp without harming vaquitas. The government will reimburse legitimate fishermen for their lost catch during this time period.
Mexican officials have failed to enforce past laws limiting gillnet fishing, and conservationists fear the new ban will not be enforced consistently. This is the last chance to save these tiny porpoises! Please sign the petition to urge the Mexican Environment, Natural Resources and Fishing Ministry to prioritize enforcing the ban on gillnet fishing!
We, the undersigned, are concerned with the declining vaquita population due to gillnet fishing. We are concerned that vaquita may go extinct if the new 2-year ban against gillnet use is not enforced.
Only 92 tiny porpoises called vaquita remain in the wild due to illegal fishing with gillnets, and legitimate shrimp fishing. Thousands of fishermen use the long nets to catch endangered totoaba fish in the Northern Gulf of California. The Chinese use the totaba fish's bladder in soup as a delicacy and for unproven medicinal properties. Vaquitas end up in gillnets and die as a casualty of shrimp fishing and illegal fishing for totaba.
We are glad that the Mexican government is testing a two-year ban across 5,000 miles of the Gulf in hopes of restoring vaquita populations, but we are concerned that the ban will not be strongly enforced. This is the last chance to save these tiny porpoises! We respectfully urge you to prioritize enforcing the ban on gillnet fishing, and to punish violations to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
