The Aquarium of the Pacific Will Participate in Save the Vaquita Day, July 9

July 1, 2016

You can help the Aquarium of the Pacific protect a critically endangered species and spread the message of conservation on International Save the Vaquita Day, Saturday, July 9. Found only in the northern part of the Gulf of California, Mexico, the vaquita porpoise is the world’s most endangered marine mammal. Only about sixty vaquitas remain, according to a report by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA).

The Aquarium will host activities and education booths to build public awareness of the vaquita and the threats that have brought it to the brink of extinction. The Aquarium of the Pacific and a team of aquariums and zoos across the country are asking the public to get involved in a campaign to help this animal, the smallest cetacean (whale, dolphin, or porpoise) on the planet. The current vaquita population represents a decline of more than 92 percent since 1997. Unless Mexico extends the gillnet ban enacted in 2015 and enforces regulations to stop illegal fishing, the vaquita will be driven to extinction within five years, according to CIRVA.

Aquarium guests can support vaquita conservation by donating to conservation programs and by supporting its Seafood for the Future program. Environmentally responsible seafood, including aquaculture, is key to the long-term success of the vaquita and many other marine animals. “We need to eat more of the right types of seafood to save marine species and support human and ocean health,” said Kim Thompson, Seafood for the Future program manager.