for now, is reduce gillnet ban area from 10,000 km2 area on paper to an approximation of the Vaquita Refuge area in reality. Such a compromise between science & community, while still risky, is much less so than fishers w vaquita-safe gear permits gillnetting all around the ZTA.

4/4 youtu.be/cgH4ZVAhMy0...

3/4 Acoustic & visual monitoring provides scientific backing for government dialogue with fishing community, says @SEMARNAT_mx @mroblesg, on adjusting rules for specialized protection zones in the short term, & builds the knowledge for the long term perspective for full recovery

2/4 & to guide selection of visual search areas as partners work to develop observation capability aboard original Upper Gulf #vaquita research vessel Koipai Yuxa, covered 21 years ago by @RafaGuadarrama, back in San Felipe thanks to #ENDESU @CONANP_mx @PronaturaNoroes @cedo_mex

aristeguinoticias.com/071125/natur...

5/5 "With the May-Sept 2025 data we aim to understand where vaquitas are, how many remain inside & outside ZTA & how they are currently distributed. Since 1997, year after year, we have managed to see or detect vaquitas, even during the most critical moments in their history"

4/5 "A floating classroom: 17 young San Felipeans apprenticed in visual observations, learning alongside us how to detect & track vaquitas. Coordinated by @CONANP_mx to link science & Upper Gulf communities, creating a new generation of local monitors committed to conservation."

3/5 "May 4-Sept 9 survey to record vaquita echolocation clicks, determine its current distribution & estimate abundance based on these sounds. Every 2 weeks, we worked w San Felipe fishers who placed & retrieved hydrophones at 60-80 sampling sites until study area was covered."
x.com/ernesto_men...

2/5 "The conditions at sea were challenging, with rough seas & constant wind, but we achieved more than double the sightings compared to 2024, allowing us to confirm the presence of at least seven to ten different vaquitas both inside & outside the Zero Tolerance Area zone."

www.gob.mx/conanp/pren...

Thank you Alex. Our Paypal donation page is here www.paypal.com/donate?hoste...

All individual donations go to support for Mexican partner groups Pesca ABC & Pronatura Noroeste working in San Felipe & Santa Clara, gaining allies in the local communities towards vaquita pride & behavior change.