¡Viva Vaquita!

07/13/2026

Aboard the M/V Seahorse, Sea Shepherd and its partners trained vaquita observers, building capacity to protect the world's rarest porpoise.

06/25/2026

A tiny porpoise is sending a massive warning signal.

The vaquita lives only in one place on Earth: the Upper Gulf of California, in the Sea of Cortez. There are only about 10 left.

But this is not just about one species disappearing. The Sea of Cortez is one of the most important marine regions on the planet - home to extraordinary biodiversity, including 39% of the world’s marine mammal species and about one-third of the world’s cetacean species.

When the vaquita dies in illegal gillnets, it is not “nature taking its course.”

It is a human-made crisis.

And when a species this rare, this gentle, this ancient, is pushed to the edge, the ocean is telling us something:

The system is under stress.
The nets are not just catching vaquitas.
They are catching the future.

Protecting the vaquita means protecting the Sea of Cortez.

Protecting the Sea of Cortez means protecting fisheries, coastal communities, biodiversity, climate resilience, and the health of the wider ocean.

The heartbreaking part? The vaquita is not doomed if the killing stops. Scientists say recovery is still possible if gillnet deaths are halted.

So no, this is not hopeless.
It is urgent.

Remove illegal gillnets.
Enforce protected waters.
Support vaquita-safe fishing.
Protect the vaquita. Protect the ocean. Protect ourselves.

🐬🌊

06/22/2026

SAVE THE DATE FOR INTERNATIONAL SAVE THE VAQUITA DAY 2026!!!

10 October 2026

Every year, we and our conservation partners dedicate one day of the year to draw people’s attention to the plight of the vaquita, International Save the Vaquita (ISTV) Day. This year, the event will occur on Saturday, 10 October. As in the past, it will feature a half-day live-streamed event (available for viewing on YouTube and several other platforms), as well as several in-person booths and tables at venues in California and Oregon.

The focus of all these activities will be to increase public awareness, education, and support for the vaquita and its conservation. This year, as the species struggles to survive among the web of illegal gillnets that kill them in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, we feel a renewed sense of hope. The estimates of the size of the vaquita population, although frighteningly small (about 10-15), appear to have remained relatively stable over the past several years. This suggests that their numbers may no longer be declining. The remaining vaquitas are survivors, and we want to give them the best possible chance to rebuild their species’ numbers. To do so, they need your support, and also for the several things to happen:

1) The Mexican Government to stop the illegal fishing that is killing them,
2) The Chinese Government to clamp down on the illegal import of totoaba swim bladders that fuel the illegal fishing, and
3) The US Government to redouble its efforts to stop the smuggling of totoaba bladders from Mexico to China, through US channels.

Please join us on Saturday, 10 October, as we present the latest findings on the status of the vaquita population, and hear from experts who are working to save the species. The live-streamed event will have a panel discussion at the end, which will provide a chance for viewers to ask questions and have them answered by vaquita scientists and conservation leaders. And be sure to tell all your friends and family members about the vaquita, and this year’s ISTV Day event, so that we can all work together to get the word out to more people! Check back on our website < https://vivavaquita.org/save-the-vaquita-day/ > regularly to get updates on the plans and the latest schedule of events.

Thank you all for your concern about the vaquita and for doing your part to help save Mexico’s lovely little porpoise from the tragedy of extinction!

International Save the Vaquita Day is intended to be an annual event similar to Earth Day, but with a specific focus on raising awareness and appreciation of the world's most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Events around the globe direct the attention of people to the plight....

03/27/2026

Cast your vote today at UproarChallenge.com and help vaquita porpoises come roaring back.

Thanks to your votes, the vaquita squeaked by into the Uproar Challenge semi-finals! This round we’re up against the Yellow-breasted bunting and vaquita will need more support than ever.

Please sign up for Voting Reminders & updates to help vaquitas all the way up the bracket. You can vote for vaquita on multiple devices and once every day! Vote now and help the vaquita porpoise advance to the next round and get closer to securing the $10,000 conservation prize.

Enjoy lovely drone video of vaquitas and hear Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho relate how this prize money would benefit vaquita. You can find the video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11D77Ut9YAHUmWPlrwX6yOMc2q_xpJNDS/view?usp=sharing

Every vote makes a difference. Rally your friends, family and fellow wildlife supporters to join in.

03/25/2026

VOTE for the VAQUITA in March Madness contest! Only 10 remain in the wild and are critically endangered. Thanks to your support, the vaquita has advanced to Round 3 of 4 in the Uproar Challenge. Every vote helps the vaquita move closer toward the $10,000 conservation prize. Rally your friends, family and fellow wildlife supporters to join in. You can vote for vaquita on multiple devices and once every day! Show your support for vaquita porpoise in the Uproar Conservation Challenge presented by T-Fiber! Vote:

QUICK FACT: The species name “acuminatus” means “to sharpen” in reference to the numerous sharp spines scattered across the head and body.

03/24/2026

Thanks to your votes, the vaquita has advanced to Round 3 in the Uproar Challenge — and won handily! Please sign up for Voting Reminders & updates to help vaquitas all the way up the bracket. You can vote for vaquita on multiple devices and once every day! Vote now and help the vaquita porpoise advance to the next round and get closer to securing the $10,000 conservation prize.

Cast your vote for the vaquita - our report in category News in DiveInside - the fresh online magazine of Taucher.Net

03/05/2026

Check out our NEW Viva Vaquita website…

The vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus) is a small, elusive cetacean found only in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Despite their critical status, research shows vaquitas have healthy genetics and can recover—if we act now to remove all gillnets from their habitat. This species is also calle...

02/20/2026

https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/mexico-considering-shrinking-gillnet-ban-around-endangered-vaquita

The Mexican government is considering shrinking the area where gillnets are prohibited to protect vaquita, an extremely endangered porpoise