MORE MISINFORMATION ABOUT VAQUITA CONSERVATION
June 10, 2023
This report has some glaring misinformation. SSCS has not engaged in any confrontation with poachers since 2020, but the report suggests this is an on-going situation. SSCS has not confiscated any illegal nets since Dec 31st, 2020. (link below)
Barbara Taylor’s advice to deploy more concrete blocks with hooks is not very good advice. These hooks are designed to ensnare gill nets, causing such nets to become potentially lethal ghost nets, presenting an on-going threat to the Vaquita.
I said last year it was a stupid idea, and now it looks like it’s an expansion of said stupid idea.
Hopefully the USA Dept of the Interior will take action to embargo Mexican fish products to pressure Mexico to 100% enforce the Vaquita Refuge. Mexican Navy ships should be onsite 100% of the time. The Sea Horse is not effective and is serving to simply make it appear that something is being done, thus making the Mexican government look good.
Without 100% Mexican government commitment to enforce, the Vaquita is doomed.
The viable solutions are:
1. 100% enforcement by Mexico
2. Mexican government actions to shut down and control the drug cartels that are backing the Totoaba smuggling.
3. Confiscation and destruction of all illegally set gill nets.
4. U.S. Government embargo of Mexican fish products
5. Investigation and conviction of Totoaba smugglers
6. Incarceration of poachers
Watching and monitoring poachers when the Mexican Navy fails to respond and intervene is simply a convenient green-washing PR. Without being allowed to confiscate and destroy illegal nets, SSCS is accomplishing nothing of real value towards the conservation of the Vaquita.I have serious concerns about the science of this recent Vaquita population count. It seems to be more propaganda than science providing false hopes of Vaquita recovery, in order to maintain donations to the only project that SSCS is undertaking.