Operation Milagro Update
Thanks to YOUR support, we have some encouraging news from Operation Milagro!
On March 30th and 31st, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and the Mexican Navy demonstrated the enhanced Operation Milagro partnership that gives the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, a significantly improved chance for survival. This is the vital work for the Oceans that YOU help us do!
Operation Milagro is a partnership between Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and six agencies of the Mexican Government. Since 2015, Sea Shepherd has worked to protect the vaquita by preventing and removing illegal fishing gear inside the Vaquita Refuge – a UNESCO-recognized and federally protected area in which gillnet fishing is banned. Between October and November of 2021, the Sea Shepherd vessel Sharpie and the Museo de la Ballena’s Narval conducted a scientific survey to identify the presence of vaquitas in the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA). The survey was carried out by a team of leading vaquita researchers and made eight Vaquita sightings over five days of the expedition, estimating that 7-8 adults exist and 1-2 calves.
In early January 2022, Sea Shepherd and the Mexican Navy began a new reporting and response protocol in the ZTA, covering over 225 square kilometers. This enhanced protocol has led to a substantial reduction in the number of fishing vessels in the ZTA.
For the first time ever, a delegation from SSCS and Admiral Luis Javier Robinson Portillo Villanueva of the Mexican Navy’s Second Region toured each other’s ships. On Wednesday, March 30, the SSCS delegation hosted Commandante José Carlos Tinoco Castrejón, on our ship, John Paul DeJoria, where we demonstrated the monitoring and reporting protocols used to detect the illegal fishing in the ZTA that threatens the vaquita’s survival.
The following day, Thursday, March 31, the Mexican Navy hosted our delegation on their ship Sonora, where the Navy demonstrated their process for responding to SSCS reports of illegal fishing in the ZTA. The demonstration included the Mexican Navy’s Interceptors, which are light, high-speed boats, as well as planes and helicopters. This process, in place since January of this year, has led to a substantial reduction in the illegal placement of nets that entangle and kill vaquitas.
Days later, in Mexico City, the SSCS delegation briefed American officials at the US Embassy, then met with Secretary of the Mexican Navy Jose Rafael Ojeda Duran. Here, the SSCS delegation updated the Naval Secretary on the Operation Milagro partnership and the positive impact witnessed in the ZTA since the new protocol was put in place in January. SSCS also shared our strategies for expanding the partnership further, potentially including the extension of the patrolled area beyond the ZTA, becoming a year-round campaign, and bringing more resources, including additional ships, to the redoubled effort to save the vaquita.
