At dawn, Sea Shepherd crew aboard the Seahorse detected a net drifting in the northwest quadrant of the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA), likely snagged on a marker block hook. Authorities were alerted immediately, and the crew held position, maintaining visual contact as the net broke free and drifted beyond the refuge boundaries, with Sea Shepherd following closely.
This wasn’t just any net—it stretched 800 meters across the sea. Lethal by design, nets like this can drift for extended periods, indiscriminately killing everything in their path: fish, sea turtles, dolphins, and the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
The Seahorse, acting not as a recovery platform but as an early detection sentry, helped dramatically cut response time. The Mexican Navy arrived on scene using Sea Shepherd-provided Seahawk interceptor vessels, which are maintained by Sea Shepherd as part of the joint effort to protect the refuge. The net was retrieved later that day. Because gillnets are illegal in the ZTA, the net was treated as evidence of a crime, requiring official recovery by enforcement authorities.
This operation highlights the evolving power of Sea Shepherd’s presence in the Vaquita Refuge. Not only do sentry ships deter poaching, but they also serve as an early warning system—cutting short the deadly drift of illegal gear before it claims more lives. What once might have gone unnoticed for weeks, months, or even years was handled in a morning’s work.
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