Marine researchers spot up to 10 critically endangered vaquita porpoises in mexican waters, offering fragile hope for species on brink of extinction

Against churning hurricane seas and challenging weather conditions, marine mammal researchers have documented a potentially encouraging discovery in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California: up to 10 vaquita porpoises spotted during their annual September survey. The sightings offer a glimmer of hope for what may be the world’s most endangered marine mammal, though experts caution that the species remains perilously close to extinction.

The vaquita, a small porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California, has become an unwitting victim of illegal fishing operations targeting another endangered species—the totoaba fish, whose swim bladders are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Vaquitas become fatally entangled in the gillnets used to catch totoaba, leading to a catastrophic population decline from an estimated 567 individuals in 1997 to fewer than 30 in recent years.

September’s survey took place under particularly difficult conditions near San Felipe, a Baja California fishing town. Spotting vaquitas typically requires pristine weather—calm winds, clear skies, and glass-smooth waters—but hurricane season brought heavy swells and strong winds that made the already challenging work even more demanding for the research team.

While the recent sightings provide cautious optimism, researchers emphasize that the vaquita’s survival depends entirely on eliminating the deadly fishing gear that continues to threaten them. Until safer, alternative fishing methods are widely adopted and illegal totoaba fishing is completely stopped, these rare porpoises will remain on the razor’s edge of extinction, making every confirmed sighting both precious and precarious.