In an effort to save the vaquita porpoise from extinction, the Mexican government plans to ban gillnets from the tiny marine mammals’ entire Gulf of California habitat and compensate the fishermen who live there for the loss of their catch. Draft rules outlining the ban, published Dec. 23, meet demands from conservation groups for drastic measures to save the small porpoise. But the groups warn that the government is still failing to enforce existing regulations; illegal fishing appears to be unchecked. The vaquita, which is endemic to the northern reaches of the Gulf, is threatened by illegal fishing for totoaba, an endangered fish whose swim bladder is prized by wealthy Chinese diners who mistakenly believe it has medicinal properties. The so-called “buches” fetch as... [Log in to read more]