Vaquita Extinction Countdown

The Vaquita's journey has been fraught with unforeseen complexities. US embargos on the Mexican fishing industry have inadvertently been encouraging the spurt of illegal Totoaba fishing (for Chinese markets) further endangering the Vaquita. Mexico's incapability to fund and implement alternatives for fishing communities has now brought the population of the Vaquita down to a dismal ten. This tug of war is only likely to choke the Vaquita further. Has the countdown to the extinction of the world's smallest porpoise begun? Comic from my column with The Hindu. 

21st Century Problems and the Vaquita

Numbering barely over 20, the Vaquita, found in the Gulf of California, is the world's most endangered marine mammal, threatened by gillnets used for fishing Totoaba. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

US Navy Dolphins to Save the Vaquita

In a last-ditch attempt by USA and Mexico to save the nearly extinct Vaquita Porpoise, the US Navy has delpoyed four of its trained bottlenose dolphins to locate Vaquitas, which will be captured for captive breeding and satellite tagging. Vaquita populations have plummeted to a mere thirty, because of gillnets used to fish Totoaba off the Gulf of California. 

The Vaquita on Nature TV

Entrapment in illegal gillnets meant for catching Totoaba,a critically 

endangered fish valued in Chinese medicine, has brought the Vaquita, a 

rare porpoise found in the Gulf of California, on the verge of extinction.

The cartoon appeared in my fortnightly with The Hindu BLink this weekend- http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/blink/takeaway/article6916139.ece