The vaquita is the smallest species of dolphin, and it's really cute. It lives in the waters of Mexico's Gulf of California. There were once thousands of vaquitas, but scientists believe there are only 19 left now, making them the most critically endangered marine mammal. Some even use the term "functionally extinct," meaning that the vaquita no longer fills a niche in the ecosystem.
The main enemy of the vaquita is the gillnet, which fishermen use to catch shrimp. But they also ensnare many other species, including vaquitas. Gillnets are illegal, but fishermen still use them to make a living, since there aren't a lot of other job opportunities in Baja California. They argue that vaquitas can break through a shrimp gill net because they are flimsy. But there's another kind of gillnet made with tougher fiber to catch another endangered species, the totoaba fish, because its swim bladder is quite valuable on the black market. Enforcement of the laws designed to help endangered species in Mexico is quite lax. Still, scientists are doing what they can, particularly in the knowledge that vaquitas are reproducing as fast as they can. Read up on the plight of the vaquita at Vox.
(Image credit: Alfokrads)
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