Sea Shepherd’s legal team took part in the world’s most important conference on endangered wildlife trade to make recommendations to protect the vaquita porpoise from extinction, based on the NGO’s extensive experience in the field.
On May 28-29th by invitation of SEMARNAT, Mexico’s Environment Ministry, Sea Shepherd attended a High Level Mission meeting organized by CITES focusing on the urgent situation of the totoaba bass and the vaquita marina at SEMAR NAVAL AVIATION BASE in La Paz, Mexico. During this session, Captain Locky MacLean (Sea Shepherd Campaigns and Ship Operations Director) and Eva Hidalgo (Sea Shepherd Science Coordinator) were able to present an update from the field outlining the importance of Operation Milagro, an ongoing campaign to protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise from extinction. Data from the field will help the CITES Secretariat make crucial recommendations to Mexico, to assist the challenges the nation’s endangered wild life faces in the Upper Gulf of California.
EN ESPANOL {link to scroll down to Spanish version}
On the morning of March 28th, 2019, Sea Shepherd ships were conducting routine patrols in the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico, when an illegal totoaba gillnet was identified. While following the protocol of retrieving the illegal net, a skiff headed towards the M/V Sharpie at full speed.
Hope shattered for vaquita survival as Sea Shepherd ship violently attacked by poachers in the Gulf of California, suffering damage from projectiles and Molotov cocktails while protecting world’s most endangered marine mammal.
Sea Shepherd Ship M/V Farley Mowat surrounded by over 35 poaching vessels and boarded in broad daylight.
Mexican Navy helicopter crashes into the ocean while engaged in patrol protecting the highly endangered vaquita porpoise in the Sea of Cortez.
Sea Shepherd returns to the Sea of Cortez to resume patrols protecting the critically endangered vaquita porpoise for the fifth season.
Renewed hope to save the critically endangered vaquita porpoise as Sea Shepherd crews work tirelessly to repair newest addition to the fleet in anticipation of net retrieval operations in the Upper Gulf of California.
