Presidential Letter to Obrador Concerning the Vaquita

The following Presidential Letter was sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of México, on behalf of the Society for Marine Mammalogy on November 9, 2019 concerning the survival of the vaquita in the Sea of Cortez.

See letter sent to President Obrador in English
See letter sent to President Obrador in Spanish

Lic. Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Presidente de la República Puerta B Palacio Nacional Plaza de la Constitución S/N Colonia Centro
Ciudad de México 06066
México

9 November 2019

Dear President López Obrador,

As you are aware, the widely publicized near extinction of the vaquita because of illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California has stained Mexico’s reputation as an environmentally responsible country. Over the past two months, it has become clear that enforcement is virtually non-existent even in the most critical areas for the few remaining vaquitas, no alternative livelihoods are being provided to the fishermen, and, as a consequence, gillnetting effort has resurged to the point where it is out of control, and if nothing changes, the vaquita is doomed.

In its report earlier this year, the Comité Internacional para la Recuperación de la Vaquita (CIRVA) stated that since 2011, the vaquita population had declined by 98%. CIRVA considered it likely that only 10 (range 6-22) individuals remained alive in 2018 (http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp- content/uploads/2019/03/CIRVA-11-Final-Report-6- March.pdf). The decline was entirely due to drowning in gillnets, most of them set illegally for totoaba, whose swim bladders are in great demand in mainland China and Hong Kong. Despite significant efforts by the scientific and conservation communities, and by the Mexican government, illegal fishing for totoaba and other species continues and vaquitas continue to die.

The few vaquitas that survive occupy a small portion of the species’ range. CIRVA has urged that this small area (the Zero Tolerance Area or ZTA) be rigorously monitored and the gillnet ban strictly enforced there. Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that this was not done during either the last totoaba fishing season or the current shrimp and finfish season (https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/fotografian-a-vaquita-marina-cerca-de- una-embarcacion-en-su-area-de-refugio/1343551). The resumption of gillnetting, which is illegal throughout the vaquita’s range, is linked to the lack of adequate incentives for fishermen to test alternative gear. Both past governments and your government have fallen short in socializing available gears known not to entangle vaquitas and in developing new gears and livelihoods for the communities. Negotiating terms with local fishermen and getting them to either convert to alternative gear or supporting them with socioeconomic alternatives needs to happen quickly. But in the meantime, more immediate steps are needed to prevent the extinction of Mexico’s largest endemic mammal. The tiny ZTA (approximately 24 x 12 km) needs to be clearly marked and patrolled to prevent gillnets from killing the last vaquitas. Inaction will certainly result in the vaquita’s extinction, a tragedy that will be directly attributed to your administration’s unwillingness to enforce the laws and regulations.

As President of the world’s largest professional scientific society dedicated to the study of marine mammals, I make this plea on behalf of our entire membership.

Sincerely,

Ann Pabst
President, Society for Marine Mammalogy

Presidential Letter Concerning the Vaquita and Gulf of California World Heritage Site

On 27 June 2019, the following Presidential Letter was sent to Dr. Mechtild Rössler, Director of the World Heritage Center in support of recommending the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California to be inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger.

View the Vaquita and Gulf of California World Heritage Site Presidential Letter

27 June 2019

Dear Dr. Rössler,

I am writing to express the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s grave concern about the status of the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California World Heritage Site and the Society’s strong support for the recommendation to inscribe this site on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

A key Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the site in question is its extraordinary diversity of marine life, which includes the vaquita, a Critically Endangered porpoise, and the totoaba, a Critically Endangered fish, both endemic to the northern Gulf. As noted in the report on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List and draft decision, the vaquita population has dramatically declined in recent decades and is now on the brink of extinction. In its 2019 report, the Comité Internacional para la Recuperación de la Vaquita (CIRVA) stated that within the last few years alone (since 2011), the vaquita population has declined by 98%. The committee considered it likely that only 10 (range 6-22) individuals remained alive in 2018 (http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp- content/uploads/2019/03/CIRVA-11-Final-Report-6-March.pdf). The population decline is entirely due to drowning in gillnets, most of them set illegally for totoaba, whose swim bladders are in great demand in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Despite significant efforts by the scientific and conservation communities, and by the Mexican government, illegal fishing for totoaba and the consequently unsustainable levels of vaquita mortality continue. The illegal fishing also kills, as bycatch, dozens of other marine creatures, including other marine mammals, sea turtles, and sharks. The few surviving vaquitas occupy a small portion of the species’ range that lies within the World Heritage site. CIRVA has insisted that this area be strictly protected against the setting of gillnets, but there is no evidence that this had been accomplished during the last totoaba fishing season, which ended last month.

If the vaquita is to have any chance of recovery, it is imperative that Mexico stop fishing practices in the upper Gulf that kill vaquitas, and the international community must aid Mexico in its efforts to do this. In particular, the United States and China, as countries involved in the illegal transit and consumption of totoaba products, must work with Mexican law enforcement to end the illegal trade in totoaba swim bladders. China and other consumer countries must make a concerted effort to eliminate the demand for these products. While Mexico, the United States, and China have all taken positive steps in these areas, the efforts have been insufficient to slow the vaquita’s decline toward extinction. A decision by the World Heritage Committee to approve the “in danger” designation would give Mexico greater incentive to take immediate concrete action, with the support of international collaborators, to preserve the OUV of this threatened property, including the vaquita and other endangered species. Among the specific actions that could be taken immediately are to strengthen support for the existing fishing gear removal program, to develop and socialize alternative fishing gear and to impose more effective measures to eliminate the trade in totoaba swim bladders.

The Society for Marine Mammalogy is the world’s largest professional group dedicated to the study of marine mammals. We have a membership of approximately 2,000 scientists from more than 30 countries, including a strong representation from Mexico. Our goal is to facilitate the understanding and conservation of marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them. We believe that identifying the status of the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California World Heritage site as in danger would contribute to the conservation of the vaquita, totoaba, and other marine life.

Thank you for considering our concerns on this important matter. I respectfully request that the Society’s support for this recommendation be noted during the deliberations on this agenda item and that this letter be made part of the record of the upcoming 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee.

Sincerely,
Ann Pabst
President, Society for Marine Mammalogy

cc:
Mr. Guy Debonnet, Programme Specialist, World Heritage Centre
Mr. Peter Shadie, Director, World Heritage Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Distinguished Members of the World Heritage Committee

Review on Proposed Dredging Project off Pacific Coast of Baja, Mexico

The Society was asked by the Government of Mexico (SEMARNAT and International Affairs) to review an impact statement on a proposed dredging project for phosphatic black sands off the Pacific coast of Baja. We accepted this request and referred the review to the Chairs of our Committee of Scientific Advisers (Doug Wartzok) and Conservation Committee (Barb Taylor). They appointed reviewers with appropriate knowledge and coordinated a consensus report from the SMM. Read our consensus report here.

Read the letter of receipt and acknowledgement received by the Society from SEMARNAT.

Presidential Letter on Vaquita

Excelentísimo Señor

Peña Nieto

Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Los Pinos, México

Excelentísimo Señor

Martinez y Martinez

Secretario de Agricultura,

Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural,

Pesca y Alimentación

December 22, 2014

Excelentísimo Señor Presidente, Excelentísimo Señor Secretario:

The Society for Marine Mammalogy has contacted the Government of Mexico 5 times since 1998 with the concerns of our member scientists regarding the decline of the vaquita – we are now more concerned than ever about the plight of Mexico’s unique porpoise. With likely fewer than 100 vaquitas remaining, any further delays in management action by the responsible Mexican agencies greatly increase the chances of losing this species forever. The Society for Marine Mammalogy is the world’s largest professional group dedicated to the study of marine mammals, with a membership of approximately 2,000 scientists from 60 countries. Our goal is to facilitate the understanding and conservation of marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.

The latest scientific assessment of the vaquita’s numbers and population trend was made public in July 2014 in a report of the fifth meeting of the Comité International para la Recuperación de la Vaquita) (CIRVA 5). Recent photographs (http://www.iucn-csg.org/index.php/2014/12/07/new-evidence-that-mexican-authorities-are-not-adequately-enforcing-fishing-regulations-to-protect-vaquitas/) are consistent with reports that extensive illegal fishing is continuing. This evidence, together with the recent confiscation of hundreds of illegal totoaba swim bladders in Mexico City, demonstrates that enforcement to stop illegal gillnet fishing has not improved as expected and as promised, although it was good to see the enforcement success in confiscating the swim bladders. Without doubt, the critically endangered vaquita is being seriously affected as long as gillnet fishing is allowed to continue.

I understand that there are plans for more surveys, and that the Mexico Senate passed a Point of Agreement that such surveys be carried out. It is unclear what the need for this is given the CIRVA (Comité Internacional para la Recuperación de la VAquita)results presented to the Comisión Asesora de la Presidencia de México para la Recuperación de la Vaquita in late July. Based on those results it was agreed that CONAPESCA’s reviewers would promptly formulate their specific questions and concerns and transmit these to CIRVA’s designated representative (Dr. Barbara Taylor). Since then, Dr. Taylor assures me that she has received no response from CONAPESCA. The CIRVA recommendations are the result of robust scientific studies using acoustic monitoring and visual line transect surveys, which were determined by CIRVA to be the most appropriate techniques for assessing this species. I would add, that the credentials of the individuals involved in the fieldwork, analyses, and interpretation of the data place them among the world’s best in their fields and therefore the scientific basis for the CIRVA recommendations is sound. Thus it seems unlikely there should be a scientific need for further documenting the status of the vaquita. However, we understand there may be other reasons for Mexico wanting to conduct further surveys. Insofar as additional surveys are to take place, the Society offers its services to conduct an independent review of the survey design and methodology with a team of international scientists to ensure that the best possible scientific approaches are used for this extremely rare species that will be even more challenging to study now than it was a few months and years ago, before the recent and ongoing explosion of illegal totoaba fishing in the upper Gulf.

In summary, I strongly urge your administration to make an immediate announcement on a gillnet fishing ban, strengthened enforcement that is critical for the ban to be successful, and a program to compensate the people whose livelihoods will be affected.

Sincerely,

Nick Gales

President, Society of Marine Mammalogy

CC:

Sr. Ing. Juan José Guerra Abud

Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales

Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortines # 4209

Jardines de la Montaña, Tlalpan,

México, D.F. 14210

México

Sr. Rafael Pacchiano Alaman

Subsecretario de Gestión para la Protección Ambiental

Av. Revolución 1425,

Col. Tlacopac San Angel,

Alvaro Obregon,

Distrito Federal,

México, C.P. 1040

Sra. Senadora Ninfa Salinas Sada
Presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca

Cámara de Senadores
Senado de la República

Centro Histórico Ciudad de México,

México, D.F. 06010

México

Sra. Diputada Lourdes Adreiana Moreno López

Presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente

Cámara de Diputados

Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro E. “F”, 3° P,

Av. Congreso de la Unión #66, Col. El Parque,

México D.F., 15969

México

MenC. Luis Fueyo MacDonald

Comisionado Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP)

Camino al Ajusco 200 Col. Jardines de la Montaña

Delegación Tlalpan

México, D.F. 14210

México

Lic. Mario Aguilar Sanchez

Comisionado Nacional de la CONAPESCA

Av. Camarón Sábalo S/B Esq. con Tiburón

Fracc. Sábalo Country Club

82100 – Mazatlan, Sin.

Mexico

Response to letter to President Nieto Regarding the Vaquita

The following is a response to my letter addressed to the President of Mexico, Mr. Enrique Pena Nieto, in which I asked for the Mexican government to use alternative fishing tools for the artisan netting fishing overlapping the distribution of the Vaquita.

Mazatlán, Sinaloa, May 21th 2013.

HELENE MARSH
I refer to your attentive letter unnumbered, dated on March 4 of the current year, recently received in this General Administrative Office of Management of Aquaculture and Fisheries, by which you requests us to report on the extent of the area where the alternative fishing net designed by the National Fisheries Institute will be mandatory for the shrimp fishery, as well as the date on which regulation come into force.
In this regard, I comment you that the public consultation period for the Amendment to the Mexican Official Standard NOM-002-PESC 1993 ended on April 23rd. This NOM regulates the shrimp fishery, and considers the implementation of this alternative fishing gear, without limiting the possibilities to allow other gear whose efficiency and selectivity would to be previously evaluated by the National Fisheries Institute.
Note that during in the public consultation period, 716 comments were received, all questioning the use of the prototype fishing gear and only one proposal to amend the Official Standard to authorize the use of the alternative fishing net in another region of the country. In the near future we will have to decide whether is it advisable to implement the use of such active fishing gear for the shrimp fishery in the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve, except in the vaquita refuge zone where fishing activities are not allowed
The results of the consultation will be made known to the public through the publication of regulatory instrument in the Official Gazette of the Federation, which we hope to do in next July and will to go into effect 60 days after its publication.
With no further ado, I take the chance to send you my warm regards,

Atte:

Aldo Gerardo Padilla Pestano,
General Director and Coordinator of the Subcommittee for Responsible Fishing.

Letter to President Nieto Regarding the Vaquita

18 December, 2012

Sr. Enrique Peña Nieto
Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Presidencia de la República,
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos
Co. San Miguel Chapultepec 11850
México, D.F.
México

Dear Mr. President,

The Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM), the European Cetacean Society (ECS) and the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) would like to congratulate you on being elected President of Mexico in the past elections. We also wish to express to you our grave concern regarding the plight of the vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus). Together, these three societies have 7,190 members (SMM = 1,920; ECS = 476; SCB = 4,794). These scientists are from many countries and are dedicated to the study, understanding, and conservation of living resources and their ecosystems.

The past Government’s Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) took critical steps to prevent the immediate extinction of Mexico’s vaquita porpoise through an integrated recovery program. This impressive effort reduced the number of artisanal boats in the Biosphere Reserve of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta by almost one third. However, these efforts have only slowed the vaquita’s decline toward extinction. The incessant use of gillnets in the vaquita’s distribution area not only continues to prevent recovery, but also results in an ongoing slow decline. Recent scientific studies have re-affirmed that the only strategy that will ensure the vaquita’s survival is to remove all gillnets from its range.

Successful testing of small trawls, developed by Mexico’s National Institute of Fisheries (INAPESCA), to replace the vaquita-lethal gillnets for blue shrimp provides a long-awaited alternative that would allow local fishermen to continue pursuing their primary source of income while saving the lives of many vaquitas. With only about 200 vaquitas left, we concur with the 2012 recommendations made by the vaquita international recovery team (CIRVA) and hope your new Government will require that this alternative fishing gear be used instead of shrimp gillnets throughout the range of the vaquita and assist the fishermen in making this transition. We also encourage efforts to develop alternative gear for catching finfish.

Successful efforts by your Government to save this species would be hailed as a major conservation success, and establish Mexico as a world leader in providing solutions that allow porpoises and artisanal fishing to co-exist.

Very respectfully,
Helene Marsh, Ph.D, FTSE

President, Society for Marine Mammalogy

Thierry Jauniaux, Ph.D.
Chairman, European Cetacean Society Council

Paul Beier, Ph.D.
President, Society for Conservation Biology

Mariana Vale, Ph.D.
President, SCB Marine Section
President, SCB Latin America Section
Chris Parsons, Ph.D.

Cc
Sr. Ing. Juan José Guerra Abud
Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortines # 4209
Jardines de la Montaña, Tlalpan,
México, D.F. 14210
México

Lic. Enrique Martinez y Martinez
Secretario de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación
Av. Insurgentes Sur 478
México, D.F. 06760
México

Senadora Ninfa Salinas Sada
Presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca Senado de la República
Centro Histórico Ciudad de México,
México, D.F. 06010
México

Diputada Jacqueline Argüelles Guzmán
Presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro E. “F”, 3° P,
Av. Congreso de la Unión #66, Col. El Parque,
México D.F., 15969

This letter was also sent in Spanish, shown below:

18 de diciembre del 2012

Sr. Enrique Peña Nieto

Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Presidencia de la República,
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos
Co. San Miguel Chapultepec 11850
México, D.F.
México

Excelentísimo Sr. Presidente,

La Sociedad de Mastozoología Marina (Society for Marine Mammalogy, SMM), la Sociedad Europea de Cetáceos (European Cetacean Society, ECS) y la Sociedad para la Biología de la Conservación (Society for Conservation Biology, SCB) quisieran felicitarlo por haber sido elegido Presidente de México en las pasadas elecciones. También deseamos expresar a usted nuestra más profunda preocupación por la difícil situación en la que se encuentra la vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Estas tres Sociedades, en conjunto, tienen 7,190 miembros (SMM = 1,920; ECS = 476; SCB = 4,794). Los científicos miembros de estas tres sociedades provienen de muchos países y se dedican al estudio, comprensión y conservación de los recursos vivos y sus ecosistemas.

El gobierno anterior, a través de la Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), dio pasos importantes para evitar la extinción inmediata de esta especie Mexicana a través de un programa de recuperación integrado. Este esfuerzo impresionante, redujo el número de embarcaciones artesanales en la Reserva de la Biosfera del Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Río Colorado en casi un tercio. Sin embargo, estos esfuerzos sólo han desacelerado la velocidad a la que la vaquita se acerca a la extinción. El uso incesante de redes de enmalle en el área de distribución de esta especie impide su recuperación y están dando lugar a un lento pero continuo declive en el tamaño de su población. Estudios científicos recientes han reafirmado que la única estrategia que asegure la supervivencia de la vaquita es eliminando enteramente las redes de enmalle en todo su rango de distribución.

Se han probado con éxito redes de arrastre pequeñas para la pesca de camarón azul, desarrolladas por el Instituto Nacional de la Pesca en México (INAPESCA), para remplazar las redes de enmalle que son letales para la vaquita. Estas nuevas redes ofrecen una alternativa largamente esperada que permitirá a los pescadores locales continuar con su principal fuente de ingresos, mientras que salvan la vida de muchas vaquitas. Con tan sólo alrededor de 200 vaquitas que quedan, estamos de acuerdo con las recomendaciones del 2012 del equipo internacional de para la recuperación de la vaquita (CIRVA), y esperamos que su nuevo Gobierno haga que esta arte de pesca alternativa sea utilizada en lugar de las redes de enmalle de camarón en todo el rango de distribución de la vaquita y que ayude a los pescadores en llevar a cabo esta transición. También, animamos a su Gobierno para que se lleven a cabo los esfuerzos necesarios que permitan desarrollar artes de pesca alternativas para la captura de escama (peces).

Los esfuerzos exitosos por su Gobierno para salvar a esta especie serían aclamados como un gran éxito de la conservación, y establecería a México como un líder mundial en el suministro de soluciones que permitan coexistir a estas marsopas con la pesca artesanal.

Con nuestras más altas consideraciones,

Helene Marsh, Ph.D, FTSE Thierry Jauniaux, Ph.D.
President, Society for Marine Mammalogy Chairman, European Cetacean Society Council

Paul Beier, Ph.D. Mariana Vale, Ph.D.
President, Society for Conservation Biology President, SCB Latin America Section

Chris Parsons, Ph.D.
President, SCB Marine Section

Sr. Ing. Juan José Guerra Abud
Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortines # 4209
Jardines de la Montaña, Tlalpan,
México, D.F. 14210
México

Lic. Enrique Martinez y Martinez
Secretario de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación
Av. Insurgentes Sur 478
México, D.F. 06760
México

Senadora Ninfa Salinas Sada
Presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca Senado de la República
Centro Histórico Ciudad de México,
México, D.F. 06010
México

Vaquita in the Upper Gulf of California

Dr. Adrián Fernández
Presidente, Instituto Nacional de Ecología
SEMARNAT
Av. Anillo Periférico 5000
Col. Insurgentes Cuicuilco
Delegación Coyoacán
México, DF 04530

April 22, 2010

Dear Dr. Fernández:

The Board of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) has been following with great interest recovery efforts undertaken by your Government to conserve the highly endangered vaquita (Phocoena sinus) in the Upper Gulf ofCalifornia. As you know, elimination of by-catch is the only approach that will ensure the survival of this endemic species. Since 2007, the Government of Mexico has invested an unprecedented level of funding to eliminate bycatch. The conservation actions taken to date, including buyouts,enforcement of areas closed to fishing, and development of alternative fishing gear, hold great promise to reverse the population decline of this species.

Critical to any conservation program is a monitoring scheme that will allow evaluation of the success of management actions taken over time. We believethat the time has come to implement an effective monitoring program to allow assessment of the efficacy of the critical measures taken to date. Recently the Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE) convened a workshop to guide the design of such a monitoring scheme. The Report of the Workshopdetails a monitoring plan within the vaquita refuge, including a budget, timeframe and other actions. The Report has been reviewed favorably by several distinguished members of the SMM and by other scientists.

The Board of the SMM considers the scheme outlined in the WorkshopReport to be an effective means of monitoring the vaquita population. Due to the very small size of this population, it is clear that monitoring methods must achieve an unprecedented level of sampling precision. Achieving this level of precision will require a significant investment of funds, but we note that the cost will be small in comparison to the investment already committed to theconservation program and insignificant in relation to the potential ecological and societal costs of losing this iconic species. The Board of the SMM therefore, fully supports the workshop recommendations; we believe that these measures are a feasible means of monitoring this very small population of vaquitas.

Once again, the Board of the SMM offers to your Government its expertise in working towards the conservation of Mexico’s only endemic marine mammal species. Areas in which the Society could potentially assist your Government include:

Brokering partnerships with NGOs to assist with the cost of the monitoring
Assisting with the development of gear refinements with the aim of reducing bycatch in the areas open to fishing.

The Society looks forward to assisting the Mexican government in its internationally significant endeavors to save the vaquita.

Respectfully,

Signature - Andrew J. Read

Andrew J. Read
President
Society of Marine Mammalogy

cc:

Dr. Eduardo Peters R
Director General de Ordenamiento Ecológico y Conservación de los Ecosistemas
Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE)

Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho
Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE)

Lic. Jorge López Vergara
Cargo: Oficial Mayor del Ramo
SEMARNAT

Vaquita conservation in Mexico – Fox

President Vicente Fox
President Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Official de los Pinos
Col San Miguel Chapultepex
C.P. 11850
Mexico, D.F.
MEXICO

Dear President Fox:

The Society for Marine Mammalogy is an international society of more than 2000 scientists who study whales, dolphins, porpoise, seals and other marine mammals. It is the largest professional society in the world dedicated to the study of marine mammals. Our website is http://www.marinemammalscience.org.

The previous government of Mexico faced many challenging environmental issues including the proposed construction of an evaporative salt production facility at the protected breeding lagoon for the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) at Laguna San Ignacio, and the conservation of the highly endangered vaquita, or Gulf of California harbor porpoise (Phocoena sinus). The Society for Marine Mammalogy commends the previous administration for its efforts to conserve these pecies and the habitats on which they depend. We are hopeful that your administration will continue to play a leading role in efforts to protect these species and their habitats.

With regard to the vaquita, the Society for Marine Mammalogy notes that the upper Gulf of California has been designated by Mexico as a Biosphere Reserve, and that Mexico is a member of the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA). These activities will aid in the protection of vital habitat and recovery of this species. To that end, we encourage you and your government to support the development and implementation of a recovery plan for the vaquita that addresses the biological needs of the species as well as the social and economic needs of the residents and communities of Baja California. The Society for Marine Mammalogy is willing to assist in any way it can in your government’s actions to prevent the extinction of the vaquita.

Sincerely,

Daniel K. Odell, Ph.D.
President

Cc:

Sr. Javier Uzabiaga Arroyo
Secretario
Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentacion
Insurgentes Sur 478
CP 06760
Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

Dr. Victor Lichtinger
Secretario
Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Lateral del Anillo Perfiferico Sur # 4209 6th Piso
Colonia Jardines de la Montana
Delegacion Tlalpan, C.P.14210
Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

Dr. Antonio Diaz de Leon
Presidente del Instituto Nacional de la Pesca
Pitagoras No. 1320, 8th Piso
Col. Sta. Cruz Atoyac 03310
Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

This letter was also sent in Spanish, as shown below:

Presidente Vicente Fox
Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Official de los Pinos
Col San Miguel Chapultepex
C.P.11850
Mexico, D.F.
MEXICO

Distinguido Señor Presidente:

La Sociedad de Mamología Marina es una sociedad internacional de mas de 2,000 científicos cuales estudian ballenas, delfines, focas, y otros mamíferos marinos. Es la sociedad profesional mas grande del mundo dedicada al estudio de mamíferos marinos. Nuestro “website” es: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/.

El gobierno anterior de Mexico encontró grandes problemas ecológicos, incluyendo la propuesta construcción de planta evaporativa de producción de sal en el area protegida para la ballena gris en Laguna San Ignacio, y la conservación de la vaquita (Phoecona sinus) la cual esta en peligro de extinción. La Sociedad de Mamología Marina aplaude al previo gobierno por sus esfuerzos en proteger estas especies y el ambiente en cual ellas dependen. Nosotros esperamos que su administración continue al frente en los esfuerzos de proteger esas especies y su medio ambiente.

Acerca de la vaquita, la Sociedad de Mamología Marina nota que el Golfo de California del Norte ha sido nombrado por México como Reserva de la Biosfera, y que México es un miembro del Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA). Estas actividades ayudaran en la protección de áreas vitales y el recobrar a esta especie. Con ese fin, nosotros alentamos a usted y su gobierno a apoyar el plan de manejo que se dirija a la nececidades biológicas de la especie así como las necesidades sociales y económicas de los residentes y las comunidades de Baja California La Sociedad de Mamología Marina esta lista para asistirle en cualquier manera en sus acciones governamentales para prevenir la extinción de la vaquita.

Sinceramente,

Daniel K. Odell
Presidente

Cc:

Sr. Javier Uzabiaga Arroyo
Secretario
Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentacion
Insurgentes Sur 478
CP 06760
Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

Dr. Antonio Diaz de Leon
Presidente del Instituto Nacional de la Pesca
Pitagoras No. 1320, 8th Piso
Col. Sta. Cruz Atoyac 03310
Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

Vaquita conservation in Mexico – Zedillo

Dr. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon
Presidente Constitucional de Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de Los Piños
Mexico DF
Mexico

Dear President Zedillo:

The Society for Marine Mammalogy is an international society of over 1300 scientists who study whales, dolphins, seals, and other marine mammals. It is the largest professional society in the world dedicated to the study of marine mammals.

As you know, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is a species of porpoise endemic to Mexico, found only in a small area in the northeastern Gulf of California. The population is currently estimated to have only 200-300 animals, making it one of the world’s rarest cetaceans. Because of its small population size, limited range, and vulnerability to fishing nets, the vaquita is in immediate danger of extinction. It is officially recognized as a species in danger of extinction in Mexico (Norma Oficial Mexicana, 16 May 1994). It is one of only two cetaceans in the world (the other is the Baiji, a river dolphin in China) classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Because this porpoise occurs only in Mexico, its fate depends on the actions of your government. No species of cetacean has gone extinct in modern time, and it would be very sad if the first extinction were to occur in Mexico.

At the recent World Marine Mammal Conference in Monaco, organized by our society together with the European Cetacean Society, researchers from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries (SEMARNAP/INP) presented a report on the efforts your government is making to save this unique species from extinction. We were very pleased to learn of the formation of the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, coordinated by the Instituto Nacional de la Pesca. At its first meeting, the Committee considered several threats to the population, and concluded that the most important immediate threat to the population is mortality in fishing nets. This is not a problem unique to vaquitas; fishing nets are a threat to cetaceans throughout the world. The Committee also recommended research on the distribution, abundance, and behavior of vaquitas, which the INP has promptly begun to carry out.

The Society for Marine Mammalogy commends you and the government of Mexico for their excellent efforts directed towards the conservation of Phocoena sinus. We support the efforts of the Committee to develop a recovery plan for the vaquita that will reduce the threats to the population. By its actions, Mexico is setting an example for other countries to follow in the preservation of biodiversity. The Society will follow with great interest further actions of your government to prevent the extinction of the vaquita.

Sincerely,

Ian Stirling, Ph.D.
President

cc: Dr.a Julia Carabias Lillo
Dr. Antonio Díaz de Leon

Gray whale conservation in Mexico

The Honorable Julia Carabias Lillo
Secretaria De Medio Ambiente Recursos
Naturales Y Pesca
Periferico Sur No. 4209, 5 Piso
14210 Mexico, D.F.
Mexico

Dear Secretary Carabias:

The Society for Marine Mammalogy is an international scientific organization whose membership conduct research on marine mammalsaround the world. The Society currently includes approximately 1,400 marine science professionals and students living and working in North, Central, and South America, Europe, the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.

The Committee of Scientific Advisors to the Board of Governors of the Society acknowledges the concern for the continued health of the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population posed by the proposed Eportadora De Sal evaporative salt manufacturing facility at Laguna San Ignacio. The facility would be located adjacent to an important lagoon breeding habitat for these whales. This unique wildlife area is also utilized by scores of species of marine birds, and it supports economically important populations of fish, and shellfish. In recent years the Laguna San Ignacio area is the center of a growing eco-tourism industry that promises to bring prosperity to the local community.

As you are aware, the recovery of the Easern North Pacific population of gray whale from endangered status was the result of international protection since 1936, and particularly the decision by Mexico to provide protection to this species’ breeding and calving lagoons along the west coast of Baja California. Scientific evidence indicates that these lagoons are preferred habitats for gray whales, and that a large portion of the population gives birth to their young and breed each winter in these lagoons and adjacent coastal areas. In recognition of the importance of these areas, in the 1970’s Mexico established by Presidential decree gray whale refuges in the lagoons of Guerrero Negro, Ojo De Liebre, and San Ignacio. In addition, all three of these areas are located within the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve that was established in 1988 and is also a World Heritage Site.

The conservation of marine species, their habitats and ecosystems need not impede economic development or prosperity. However, neither should development activities disadvantage marine species and their habitats. Scientific advice, based on biological, social, and economic considerations, should be an integral part of the planning and development process. This advice must identify critical uncertainties as well as established facts, and inform managers, developers, and the public of the potential consequences of alternatives before development begins. In addition, it is essential that research and monitoring programs precede and accompany development to allow detection and analysis of any changes in the affected species status or their habitats may result from the development. In this way, potentially detrimental actions may be identified and avoided before problems develop.

For these reasons, the Board of Governors of the Society for Marine Mammalogy supports the decision of the Secretaria De Medio Ambiente Recursos Naturales Y Pesca (SEMARNAP) to incorporate the expert advice of recognized international scientists in your evaluation of the proposed Eportadora De Sal project, and to seek the views and opinions of the residents of Baja California that would be most affected by the proposed development. Incorporation of this information into the decision making process is fundamental to developing an informed decision on an issue as important as the proposed salt manufacturing project.

The Society for Marine Mammalogy has in its membership many internationally recognized scientists with expertise on marine mammals, complex marine environments, and the conservation of marine species. We would be pleased to provide SEMARNAP with the names of scientific experts who would be able to provide information about marine mammals and marine environments in areas relevant to your specific conservation concerns.

Sincerely yours,

Jeanette A. Thomas, Ph.D.
President