Save the Vaquita Day at the Aquarium on July 9

June 7, 2017

You can help the Aquarium of the Pacific protect a critically endangered species andspread the message of conservation on International Save the Vaquita Day. Found only in the northern part of the Gulf of California, Mexico, the vaquita porpoise is the world’s most endangered marine mammal. Only about thirty vaquitas remain, according to a report by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA).

The Aquarium will host activities and education booths to build public awareness of the vaquita and the threats that have brought it to the brink ofextinction. The Aquarium of the Pacific and a team of aquariums and zoos across the country are asking the public to get involved in a campaign to help this animal, the smallest cetacean (whale, dolphin, or porpoise) on the planet. The vaquita population has declined by more than 90 percent since 2011. Unless Mexico extends the gillnet ban enacted in 2015 and enforces regulations to stop illegal fishing, the vaquita will be driven to extinction within a few years, according to CIRVA.

Aquarium guests can also view a photo exhibit about the vaquita conservation on the second floor. Storied Seafood: Vaquita Conservation tells the story of the vaquita through the lens of a group of forward-thinking and innovative fishermen from the northern Gulf of California, Mexico who are working with global fishing experts and government and nongovernment organizations to develop and test non-entangling fishing gear that will greatly reduce fishery impacts on the critically endangered porpoise and other protected species in the region. Storied Seafood program developed by the Aquarium’s Seafood for the Future program in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

When: Sunday, July 9, 2017. 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.