海角大神

Scientists are in a scramble to save the world's most endangered marine mammal before it goes extinct from illegal fishing.

The population of the聽vaquita,聽the world's smallest porpoise,聽is dangerously聽low, according to a population study of the "little cow," its translation from Spanish. The International Community for the Recovery of the聽Vaquita聽estimates there are only 60 of the porpoises聽left, 37 less than its estimates聽in 2014. The porpoise, known for聽a distinctive聽smirk,聽is only聽found in the waters in聽Mexico's Gulf of California.

"I believe it is possible to still save the聽vaquita," Omar Vidal,聽of the聽World Wildlife Foundation's Mexico office,聽told the Associated Press.聽"The Mexican, US聽and Chinese governments need to take urgent and coordinated action to stop the illegal fishing, trafficking and consumption of聽totoaba聽products. In the end, if the聽vaquita聽goes extinct it would inevitably be a shared responsibility of the three countries."聽

The聽vaquita聽has become a casualty of Chinese appetites for the聽totoaba, a rare聽fish whose聽swim bladder is said to have medicinal qualities. Poachers catch聽totoabas聽in聽gill nets, vertical nets that聽聽as well as other marine life including the聽vaquita, according to National Geographic.聽

The Mexican government聽suspended the use of gill nets聽in parts of the gulf, and planned to compensate fisherman who discard them. Still聽vaquita porpoises continue to die, as a聽totoaba聽bladder can sell for $5,000 in the United States and double聽that amount in Asia.

The聽vaquita's聽demise, although peculiar, is part of a larger narrative: the decline of global fisheries.聽聽

Since聽marine fishery production peaked at 130 million metric tons in 1996, it has聽declined聽every year by more than one million metric tons,聽largely because of industrial fishing, as 海角大神 reported in January. From 1950s to the 1990s, industrial fishing fleets from聽countries such as the United States and China ventured to farther waters, fishing off the coast of developing聽countries.聽In the Gulf of California, it's no different, with fisherman using gill nets to increase their catch.聽聽

Since 2004, the Mexican government has introduced a number of measures to save the聽vaquita. It established聽聽according to the Marine Mammal Center, a California rescue organization. In April 2015, it pledged $70 million to ban gill net fishing in the upper half of the gulf, and promised to pay聽fisherman for not using gill nets.

However, most of the 2,700 fisherman are paid only a few hundred dollars for replacing their gill聽nets, while a few were paid tens of thousands, the Center for Biological Diversity's Alejandro Olivera told the Associated Press. As calls continue for the government to reform this enforcement program, vaquita聽numbers continue to dwindle.

Since the population estimate was performed, three聽vaquitas聽have been found dead.聽If this trend continues, experts are unsure they can save the聽vaquita; no聽one has ever kept a聽vaquita聽alive in captivity.

If the聽vaquita聽becomes extinct, it will be just the fifth marine mammal to become extinct in modern times, following the fate of the聽Stellar's聽sea cow, the聽Carribean聽monk seal, the Japanese sea lion, and the Chinese river dolphin.

Activists worry that the disappearance of the vaquita could spell the end for other wildlife in the ecosystem.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.