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Today is International #SaveTheVaquita Day. I know this because the Oobit cares A GREAT DEAL about vaquita porpoises and their plight. For those not in the know, vaquitas: - are the smallest extant cetacean - are native to the Gulf of California - are nearly extinct because of gillnet fishing 🧵

When I say "nearly extinct," I mean that at last count, there were TEN OR FEWER left alive. For them to have any chance of survival, the government of Mexico has to put a stop to gillnet fishing for totoaba (a species of ray-finned fish that's also threatened) in the Gulf of California.

There are laws against fishing with gillnets in the gulf, but Mexico lacks the resources to enforce the laws against it, so it continues. The only way to prevent vaquitas' extinction is to provide incentives to fishers in the gulf to cease their illegal activities.

Viva Vaquita (vivavaquita.org/) is a project created by the Cetos Research Foundation, Save the Whales and the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. It's been joined by the national ACS, the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society and other marine life advocates.

But the easiest way to help improve the vaquitas' chances of population recovery is to donate to the Cetos Research Foundation at vivavaquita.org/donate. Times are tight for all of us, and we're all constantly, CONSTANTLY, being asked for money. I know. I'm just gonna say: FEWER. THAN. TEN. LEFT.

P.S. You may also find information about vaquita porpoises at porpoise.org, the website of the Porpoise Conservation Society. This site also takes donations, but it hasn't updated its news releases in a very long time. Viva Vaquita has the most current information.

P.P.S. Fellow Bluesky user Kasey Snow, also a committed vaquita advocate, has organized an entire Save the Vaquita WEEK of streaming events on Twitch.