Sea Shepherd finds dead vaquita

[rwsanders]

I hope and pray they know our hearts are with them. We're desperate for them to succeed and to hear of a recovering population in the next few years.

But where is the U.N.? Where is the U.S. Coast Guard? Where are the world's navies? Can't some nation somewhere send boats? Is there some other nation that Mexico trusts?


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[DRoseDARs]

1. Sad as it is, 20 individuals is not a genetically-viable population. And what wld other nations do?

Under what regulations or legal framework would the UN act? Why would US Coast Guard ships be illegally sailing in Mexican territorial water, almost 2000 coastline miles away from US waters? To do what, exactly? Why would other navies likewise violate Mexican territorial waters even further from their own? The onus in on the Mexican government, no one else can legally do anything about it.

Doesn't matter much anyway given how few individuals are left. I can't imagine inbreeding such a small population leads to a sustainable future for their species. All anyone can do is put pressure on the Mexican government to come down hard on illegal fishing in the area and deal more forcefully with the drug trade that passes through.

[rwsanders]

2. There could be cooperative agreements for patrols and net removal.

Last edited Fri Mar 15, 2019, 11:24 AM - Edit history (1)

It could be done with the permission of the Mexican government. The USCG helps the Bahamas patrol for drug runners. The rest of the military does joint training operations all over the world. This is nothing new.

Actually current research shows that isolated small populations are already genetically similar and they have eliminated bad genes. Without the nets they might recover.

If there were offers of support and more pressure to save the vaquita then other nations could help patrol for poachers, eliminate the illegal trade and help remove nets.

Not rocket science.