This short film from Animalogic takes viewers inside the Vaquita Refuge and aboard Sea Shepherd’s ships, showing how collaboration, enforcement, and science are keeping the world’s most endangered whale alive—against the odds.
The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal in the world. About ten remain — confined to a single stretch of water in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California, where illegal fishing nets have pushed the species to the brink of extinction.
For over a decade, Sea Shepherd has worked alongside the Mexican Navy to defend the vaquita’s last refuge—removing illegal gillnets, supporting monitoring and enforcement, aiding scientific surveys, and maintaining a permanent ship-based presence in one of the world’s most dangerous trafficking zones.
This short film from Animalogic brings global attention to the crisis—and features voices from across the effort, including Sea Shepherd biologist Heidy Martínez, vaquita experts Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho and Dr. Barbara Taylor, who says: “The vaquita would have gone extinct if it wasn’t for Sea Shepherd.”
Sea Shepherd is a global movement defending marine wildlife through direct action.
Since 1977, our crews have protected endangered species and shut down illegal operations at sea—where enforcement fails.
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In the Vaquita Refuge, our team of action leaders and scientists works 24/7 to drive illegal fishing out of protected waters and shield the world’s most endangered marine mammal.
At Consag Rock, Sea Shepherd crews cut entangled sea lions free from nets set for the black-market totoaba trade—part of our mission to dismantle this deadly supply chain.
In the Faroe Islands, we confront the brutal slaughter of pilot whales and white-sided dolphins, pushing for policy change and exposing this killing to the world.
In Antarctica, we expose industrial krill trawlers operating in the shadows—vessels that threaten whales and strip the Southern Ocean of its foundation for life.
Off Scorpion Reef, we’ve launched a permanent campaign to intercept poachers and protect one of Mexico’s most vital marine reserves—home to sea turtles, rays, and thriving coral reefs.
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