Gulf of California, Mexico - As the last afternoon
of a seven-day search for the elusive vaquita —
the world's smallest and most critically endangered
porpoise — drew to a close, it appeared that the
expedition team would have to be satisfied with the
sonic data it had collected and the occasional glimpse
of a dorsal fin that had teased it throughout the week.
Then, a small head breached the surface and WWF communications
officer Gustavo Ybarra captured the first-ever photograph
of the face of a living vaquita.
The photo was taken near the port of San Felipe in the
Gulf of California. An expedition headed by Dr Lorenzo
Rojas of Mexico's National Ecological Institute, and
co-sponsored by WWF and several other groups, had been
searching for the shy and elusive mammal using a hydrophone
modified to detect the vaquita's unique sonic signature.
"It was our last day out and we were about to call
it quits when we picked up the signature again,"
said Ybarra. "I had my digital camera in front
of my face and suddenly I saw this other face staring
back at me, from about 150 feet off the starboard bow.
I couldn't believe it. I pressed the shutter and started
shooting, but the vaquita was gone again within seconds."
The smallest member of the porpoise family, measuring
less than five feet at maturity, the vaquita ( Phocoena
sinus ) is found only in the northern end of the Gulf
of California. Its numbers have dwindled to as few as
500, with an estimated 15 per cent of the surviving
population killed every year in fishing nets. It is
so shy and elusive that, until now, the only photographs
showing the mammal's face had been of dead vaquitas.
"WWF is strongly urging the Mexican government
to step up protection for these creatures by phasing
out gill net fishing, which is the leading cause of
the species demise," said Karen Baragona, deputy
director of WWF's species conservation programme.
The main purpose of the WWF-funded expedition was to
find and hopefully photograph a living vaquita to disprove
a claim made by some industrial fishing interests that
the mammal no longer exists.
Vaquita’s
web site best of Yahoo!
By
Gustavo Ybarra*
“On behalf its innovative designs, good navigability
and powered graphics, as well as its content and reliable
information, Marine Vaquita’s web site (www.vaquitamarina.org)
was chosen by Yahoo! Mexico as the best 2002 Tech
& Science site”, mentioned Miguel Alegre,
Web’s Team Director of the search engine web
portal.
The recently created
web page stands since last February 24th, as the most
representative of its category among the complex and
universally visited net, due to its enhanced characteristics
and first hand data.
On a winning awards ceremony held in Mexico City,
the internationally known Yahoo’s editorial
group gave the “Best of 2002” prize to
World Wildlife Fund Team thanks to the conservation
efforts this organization realizes to protect and
recover the endangered Vaquita, a marine mammal endemic
to Mexico.
Vaquita’s web site offers to all surfers, English
and Spanish latest articles regarding the conservation
activities WWF makes towards the protection of this
porpoise, exclusive from the Upper Gulf of California,
from which only about 600 individuals are left.
A creative map series, documents, videos, photos and
also a song dedicated to the Marine Vaquita, can be
found and downloaded at www.vaquitamarina.org, where
a quick access to its links make this site not only
informative, but educational and friendly.
Web surfers will be able to explore and discover this
specie, its history and physical characteristics,
its natural habitat and basic diet components. There’s
also an opportunity to contact WWF Team and participate
in the conservation activities in order to recover
the Marine Vaquita. infogolfo@wwfmex.org
A Song to Save
It
"Open your
heart" is the brand authentic musical composition written
on behalf one of the species in greater danger of extinction:
the Marine Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)..
By Luis Gonzalez
(Translated by Gustavo Ybarra)
Sonoran composer Arnulfo Miranda was the one in charge
of the letter and music in honor to this endemic species
that lives exclusively in the Upper Gulf of California,
in Mexico.
At the moment, almost 600 individuals of this cetacean
are left in the world, and is to be estimated that if
of not taking immediate actions the species could be
extinguished in about ten years.
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and the conservation sector
have undertaken a communications campaign along with
different civil and governmental organizations, at international
level, to save the Vaquita.
Arnulfo Miranda, along with other local artists, united
in a joint effort to rescue this original species of
the Mexican coasts.
“As a part of the ideas of WWF’s campaign,
there was an opportunity to make a special song that
could show what vaquita’s problems really are”,
the composer said.
The artist also mentioned that this musical piece was
conceived in a language that handles universal concepts,
so that it could be understood not only thru a regional
context.
“If this species disappears is a problem of the
world, a responsibility of all the inhabitants of the
planet... “, he pointed.
“In this song the vaquita introduces itself to
the world, telling about its problems. There is too
many people in our region that don’t know the
Vaquita, but also abroad”, also mentioned.
Poetical and Wise
Miranda confessed that before composing this master
piece, he had to learn lot about this specie’s
habitat, characteristics and natural behavior, among
other things.
“The main idea of the song had to be planned,
in order to transmit a specific message, so all public
could understand. We needed to show how difficult it
was for the Vaquita so survive without blaming on anybody”,
said. “It was about time to say ‘we’re
even’: you live in one place, I live in other”.
The composer also mentioned that technical data about
the specie had to be translated into a poetical language,
so he could transmit a universal idea towards the protection
of the vaquita.
According to the musician “Open your heart”
is interpreted in a first person mode (literally the
vaquita is the one that sings) with a feminine voice.
Around 20 people participated in the production and
recording of this song.
Be a part of the virtual community of Vaquita Marina; choose your own
way to help
