Archive · 30 Jul 2026
Vaquita Faces Extinction Amid Illegal Fishing Nets
The vaquita is a tiny porpoise that lives only in the Gulf of California in Mexico.
Scientists think there are less than 12 of them left in the wild.
They get caught in fishing nets that are used to catch another fish called totoaba.
This is a big problem because the vaquita is the rarest marine mammal in the world.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature says many animals are in danger because of things humans do, like destroying homes, changing the climate, and hunting.
Some animals have been saved by people working to protect them, but the vaquita still needs help to survive.
The vaquita is a critically endangered porpoise found only in Mexico’s Gulf of California.
Scientists estimate fewer than a dozen vaquitas remain in the wild.
The species is threatened by entanglement in illegal fishing nets used to catch totoaba fish.
Human activities such as habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade endanger many species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists thousands of species at risk of extinction worldwide.
- Who
- Scientists and conservationists
- What
- The vaquita population has declined to fewer than 12 individuals due to entanglement in illegal fishing nets
- When
- Currently
- Where
- Gulf of California, Mexico
- Why
- Human activities such as illegal fishing, habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade
- Species
- Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)
- Status
- Critically Endangered
- Location
- Gulf of California, Mexico
- Threats
- Illegal fishing nets, habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, poaching, illegal wildlife trade
- Population
- Fewer than 12 individuals