Facts about Vaquita Conservation Status

1. 07

   Mexico established the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve partly to protect vaquita habitat.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 8shareconservationgeographypolicy
2. 06

   Since the 1990s, the vaquita population has declined by over 99 percent, representing one of the fastest collapses of any marine species.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 8shareendangereddeclinemarine
3. 05

   A captive breeding program attempt for the vaquita was abandoned in 2017 after a captured female showed signs of stress and died.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 7shareconservationextinctionmarine
4. 04

   Conservation efforts for the vaquita include acoustic monitoring using underwater listening devices to detect the porpoises' echolocation clicks.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 7shareconservationmonitoringendangered
5. 03

   Illegal gillnets set to catch the totoaba fish are the primary cause of vaquita bycatch deaths, driving the species toward extinction.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 7shareconservationthreatsmarine
6. 02

   Vaquita are endemic to the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, making their entire range one of the smallest of any marine mammal.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 7sharegeographyconservationmammals
7. 01

   The vaquita is the world's most critically endangered marine mammal, with fewer than 10 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.

   Vaquita Conservation StatusJun 7shareconservationbiologyendangered