Real vaquita protection needed now and for Mexico's next dying species

[Judi Lynn]

A petition filed this month by a coalition of environmental groups is asking that Mexico be investigated for not executing fishing and trading laws in the agreement that could protect the vaquita. PAULA OLSON/NOAA

Environmentalists' petition with USMCA hopes to set precedent to mitigate future biodiversity loss

By Shannon Collins
Published on Thursday, August 26, 2021

A new petition has urged the United States to initiate a consultation with Mexico on its failure to protect the world’s most endangered porpoise, the vaquita marina.

Endemic to the Gulf of California, the vaquita is an estimated 10 individuals away from extinction, a number so critically low that it is considered the most threatened marine mammal on the planet. Yet the national government continues to fail in its regulation and penalization of illegal fishing in the area, leading to mounting international pressure for Mexico to be held to account.

Conservation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, submitted the petition to the Commission of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (UMSCA) Secretariat requesting enforcement against Mexico for its failure to execute fishing and trading laws on August 11. Further, the petition asks the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to investigate and develop a “factual record” on Mexico’s failures, and for the U.S. Trade Representative’s environment committee to initiate a consultation.

This consultation is the first step in the USMCA’s formal enforcement process and could lead to sanctions for the Mexican government.

More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/opinion/real-vaquita-protection-needed-now-and-for-next-species/?utm_medium=webpush&utm_source=jeeng

Also posted in Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127147486