If you missed the news, it’s not good. There are only 60 vaquita left in the entire world. This\u00a0small porpoise is only found in the\u00a0Gulf of California in Mexico.\u00a0Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammal species in the world.<\/p>\n
If we do not help now<\/strong>, vaquita\u00a0could become\u00a0the SECOND whale species to go extinct in 10 years.\u00a0 Scientists declared the\u00a0Chinese (baiji) river dolphin extinct in 2006. Sadly, with little or no fanfare.\u00a0 We can’t allow that to happen to\u00a0vaquita.<\/p>\n WhaleTimes and the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Oceanscape Network <\/a>are working with\u00a0vaquita experts from Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries <\/a>and other organizations to raise awareness. We have declared 2017 the Year of the Vaquita<\/em><\/strong>. And annually\u00a0March is\u00a0Save the Vaquita Month<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Is your seafood vaquita-friendly<\/strong><\/em><\/span>? It’s\u00a0simple and yet the most important thing you can do to protect so many species. People who\u00a0do not\u00a0insist on sustainably caught seafood\u00a0are\u00a0a big part of the\u00a0problem. (Sorry, we do not have time to\u00a0sugar-coat this one).<\/p>\n Start TODAY<\/span><\/strong>. If you eat shrimp, fish, or other seafood it must be sustainably caught. If you do not know the how it was caught, if other animals were killed in the process, and\/or you cannot trace its route from the sea to your plate do not buy it, eat it, or sell it. If the restaurant does not have a sustainable seafood policy, find another one. If your grocery store does not have a sustainable seafood policy, buy elsewhere. Buy locally and sustainably caught seafood whenever you can.<\/p>\n Is there time? We think so. The\u00a0Pacific gray whales\u00a0almost went extinct — twice.\u00a0Northern elephant seals, bald eagles and others\u00a0almost became extinct, too. Public awareness and concern\u00a0helped turn the tide and now gray whales, elephant seals, and bald eagles\u00a0have large healthy populations.\u00a0Let’s do that for vaquita!<\/p>\n Though 2017 is the Year of the Vaquita<\/em>, help us start\u00a0saving the\u00a0vaquita\u00a0today.<\/p>\n More to come.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you missed the news, it’s not good. There are only 60 vaquita left in the entire world. This\u00a0small porpoise is only found in the\u00a0Gulf of California in Mexico.\u00a0Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammal species in the world. If we do not help now, vaquita\u00a0could become\u00a0the SECOND whale species to go extinct in 10 … Continue reading