Vaquita Refuge, Upper Gulf of California
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s top priority in Mexico is the protection of the Vaquita porpoise. In partnership with the Government of Mexico, particularly the Navy (SEMAR) and the environmental agencies, Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the Attorney’s Office for the Protection of the Environment (PROFEPA), Sea Shepherd has maintained the vessel Seahorse and dedicated crews and technology including drones, radar and sonar in the Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California, with the singular goal of having no gillnets in the Vaquita core habitat area.
Sea Shepherd’s mission is twofold. First, we work with Mexican government scientists and leading international marine mammal experts to locate Vaquitas. Sea Shepherd participated in the 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 Vaquita surveys. The visual surveys take place on Sea Shepherd vessels. We also provide support for the acoustic monitoring led by CONANP. The results of the surveys show that Vaquita's presence is concentrated in the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA) and just outside the ZTA in the northwest corner of the Vaquita Refuge. These findings guide where we focus our surveillance and protection efforts.
Our ships, surveys and gillnet removal in the Vaquita Refuge
Secondly, Sea Shepherd works to keep these areas where Vaquitas are present completely free of gillnets. Over the years, Sea Shepherd has deployed multiple ships to this effort and provided two interceptor boats to the Mexican Navy, giving authorities the capacity to respond quickly when our crews detect illegal nets.
This model of collaboration has reduced gillnets in the ZTA by over 95%. Sea Shepherd has taken further steps by cooperating with the Government of Mexico in the destruction of illegal nets and ghost nets, and supporting local recycling initiatives that use plastic from those nets.
Both the 2020 Agreement (published on September 24, 2020) and the new 2026 Agreement (published on October 14, 2026) for the Upper Gulf of California issued by the Government of Mexico provide the framework for Sea Shepherd to conduct its core mission of keeping gillnets out of the water where vaquitas live successfully.
Sea Shepherd remains committed to continue our monitoring and surveillance efforts in the Vaquita Refuge and removing illegal nets from the Vaquita habitat.
