In May, two research vessels embarked on a survey in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California, searching for evidence of the world’s rarest marine mammal, the tiny vaquita porpoise. Scientists conducted visual searches and deployed 34 acoustic listening devices to detect the high-pitched clicks unique to the species. Funded by the Mexican government and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the survey covered a larger area than that studied in 2023, when an estimated 8 to 13 individual vaquitas were seen.
Although this latest survey logged more acoustic detections (70 vaquita clicks this year compared to 61 last year), sightings were down: a mere 6 to 8 individuals, by the scientists’ estimation. However, all vaquitas spotted, including a yearling, appeared to be healthy. The Mexican government has extended the acoustic survey into July and August, covering a wider area of the species’ historical habitat, hoping to find additional vaquitas.