Dear John,
Over the past seven years, Sea Shepherd’s volunteers and crew have worked tirelessly on the front lines to prevent the extinction of the world’s most endangered marine mammal - the vaquita porpoise. Through the direct action campaign Operation Milagro, we have given this critically endangered species a fighting chance at survival, and we will not back down.
And these efforts are paying off!
A new report indicates that more vaquitas remain alive than population projections initially indicated. This is incredibly good news for Operation Milagro, which has worked tirelessly to protect the vaquita since 2015.
The findings come from Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho and colleagues, who also note that the population is in good health. The news is based on research carried out between 2019-2021 in the Vaquita Refuge - a small region in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California where the remaining vaquita population is localized. According to leading vaquita experts, more vaquitas were sighted during these expeditions than predicted by previous population projection estimates. Calves were sighted among the adults, indicating that the population is breeding.
This is further proof that our direct action and close partnership with the Mexican Navy is having a measurable, positive impact on the vaquita. SSCS will be announcing the next steps in our enhanced partnership with Mexico in the coming weeks as we build on this success and ensure the long-term survival of this endangered species. CLICK HERE for the full study.
