Souls of the Vermilion Sea: Searching for the Vaquita

  • Published 6 years ago
  • 10

The Vaquita is a small porpoise with a huge problem. The species that is endemic to the Gulf of California is very close to being extinct. At the moment, there are only 60 individuals, which is a huge drop (92%) from 1997, when a major survey was conducted to understand the species.

Mexico is one of the countries that can help with preservation of the vaquita. If that doesn’t happen, some experts believe the species may be extinct by 2022.

The problem with the species is they get tangled in the fill nets that are used for fishing totoaba, another critically endangered animal that is used as an ingredient in a soup in China.

In the past few years, the Mexican government has introduced regulations to keep the territory where the vaquita swims nets-free. However, the measurements haven’t been as successful as people expected.

The documentary Souls of the Vermilion Sea explores the struggle to save the species from extinction. The documentary focuses on the Ocean Starr boat, one that was used for a survey in the fall of 2015.

Vaquitas live up to 20 years in ideal condition, and they mature sexually at 3 to 6 years old. Reproduction occurs in early summer or late spring with a gestation period of 10 months. If they are not kept safe and allowed to reproduce, the species might be soon gone.

From Around the Web

Related Videos

Nature
animal homes
youtube icon
52:50

Will you believe if we tell you that animals might be even better engineers than humans? We pride ourselves in being great engineers. We build some amazing buildings. We have...

  • 7,336
  • 6 years ago
  • 9.3(4)
History
great human odyssey
youtube icon
01:52:07

No, this is not a documentary about Odyssey, the Ancient Greece hero. This is a documentary about the evolution of mankind. From Africa, to Asia, to the Pacific, to Europe,...

  • 10,129
  • 6 years ago
  • 8.7(3)
Nature
tuna overfishing
youtube icon
30:51

People try to raise awareness in a different way. We all have our ways for raising awareness. Some organize public events. Some make donations. And some go on a trip. Andr...

  • 5,300
  • 6 years ago
  • Not Rated
Political
environmental litmus test
youtube icon
16:53

World leaders met in Paris in December 2015 to discuss climate change and how it affects all of us. The leaders struck out a historic agreement. Prior to the meeting, Paul...

  • 4,906
  • 6 years ago
  • 7(1)
Avatar

4,897 Videos / 18,576,712 Views
Related Articles
“Do dogs really think”, “can dogs communicate with us”, “how can we understand our dogs”?
  • 9,046
  • 6 years ago
Did you know they are the only mammal that can see ultraviolet light? And how the connection to Santa was born?
  • 6,948
  • 6 years ago
Since 2008, Berlin in Germany gathers top architects for the World Architectural Festival. The annual event focuses most...
  • 5,686
  • 6 years ago
In the past 50 years, the human population has gone from 3.3 billion, to 7.4 billion. In the same time, animal populatio...
  • 5,892
  • 6 years ago