This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because the issues impacting the vaquita are complex and multifaceted. The vaquita also doesn’t have much time left, so if you’re hoping to do something to help out, you’ve got to act now! I’ll break this post into a few different categories based upon how much energy and effort you’re willing and able to invest into vaquita conservation and our global extinction crisis more generally.
This article is geared primarily towards people who live outside of the areas being directly impacted by the vaquita issue – however if you live in the Northern Gulf of California region there are ways for you to help. The organization Wild Leaks receives anonymous tips related to wildlife crime issues all across the globe – there are instructions on their website that explain how to submit information without revealing your identity. Additionally, if you live in the Northern Gulf of California region, we would like to hear your ideas about how local community members can help. We have created a private facebook group specifically to receive feedback, information and updates directly from community members in the upper gulf. If you live in the upper gulf region we’d love for you to share your perspective with us. If you’d like to join this group, just send an email to Sean Bogle requesting access: sean@wildlensinc.org
Vaquita – Upper Gulf of California, Mexico. Photo by Chris Johnson.
I’m happy to use the power of my computer mouse
Sign a petition. There are several active online petitions directed towards the new administration in Mexico, encouraging these political leaders to take meaningful action to prevent the extinction of the vaquita. It’s been shown in the past that politicians in Mexico react to international pressure, so add your name – it should only take a few clicks of the mouse.
AZA Vaquita SAFE: 1 million posts for vaquita conservation #post4aPorpoise
Prevent the Imminent Extinction of the Vaquita Porpoise in Mexico!
Follow us on social media and share our posts. We understand the power of social media to inform people and energize them.
Follow us on:
- Facebook (Wild Lens & Souls of the Vermilion Sea)
I care deeply about this issue and want to take meaningful action now!
Donate. There are a handful of small non-profit groups working on the front lines of this issue in the Northern Gulf of California. Groups like Museo de la Ballena and Pesca ABC are employing local fisherman to remove illegal gillnets and test alternative fishing gear. Elephant Action League is gathering intelligence on the criminal network responsible for transporting illegal totoaba swim bladders, while CEDO is working to provide community resources that benefit local fisherman and discourage participation in the illegal totoaba fishery.
Our recommendations for who to donate to:
Organizations working directly in the communities of the upper gulf:
CEDO (Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans)
Small conservation organizations working to spread awareness of the vaquita issue:
Large international conservation groups involved in vaquita conservation:
Vaquita CPR (this is a public/private partnership – funding comes both from private donors and the Mexican government – with the Mexican government agency SEMARNAT playing the lead role, and the following NGOs serving on the leadership team: The National Marine Mammal Foundation, Museo de la Ballena, Chicago Zoological Society, The National Marine Mammal Center, and Baja Aqua Farms)
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Environmental Investigation Agency
Visit San Felipe. San Felipe and the Northern Gulf of California region is spectacularly beautiful. San Felipe is a quaint little Mexican town, and it’s only a five hour drive from San Diego. Spending your tourist dollars in the community means that you’re contributing to alternative livelihoods and supporting the tourist economy in the region.
Tell others about the Vaquita and our Looming Extinction Crisis. Spreading knowledge and awareness is extremely important. If your passionate about these issues, don’t be afraid to speak out. Start conversations with your friends and family – make them aware of these issues that you care about.
Host a Screening of our documentary Souls of the Vermilion Sea (coming soon – opportunities to screen the new film Sea of Shadows). These films were designed as educational tools with the goal of reaching as many people as possible. This is a fun and entertaining way to learn and teach people about the vaquita and extinction issues in general. Contact Sean Bogle to set up a screening: sean@wildlensinc.org
Become a more conscious seafood consumer. Although your seafood purchasing decisions likely won’t directly impact the vaquita, they will impact marine ecosystems around the globe. Gillnets trap, entangle and kill marine mammals all across the globe – don’t buy seafood unless you know for certain that it was caught in a sustainable manner without gillnets. Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch app to help you make seafood purchasing decisions.
I’m ready to radically change my life and do whatever it takes to give the vaquita a shot at survival. What should I do?
Move to San Felipe, Mexico. Once you’re living there (or if you already live there), you’ll have lots of options and opportunities to directly help the situation for both the vaquita and the community. You could start a business and employ local people, thus contributing to the economic options that community members have other than fishing. You could volunteer your time for one of several organizations working to improve the situation in the communities of the Northern Gulf of California (see list of NGOs working in the communities of the upper gulf above).
Commit yourself to the cause. Sadly, the vaquita will almost certainly go extinct within the next few years, but the vaquita won’t be the last victim of our current global extinction crisis. This crisis is complex and multifaceted – there is no single thing that will provide a solution. Therefore, we need to commit ourselves as a species to tackling this issue from many different angles and approaches. Maybe you’re working a job that you hate, maybe you feel trapped by financial constraints – take a BIG step back from your situation and recognize the global scale of this crisis. Think about how you could be spending your time in a productive way that would contribute to the big picture goal of slowing down our rapid loss of biodiversity in a meaningful way. The things that you could do are virtually limitless – let your interests guide the way.