The vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) has become a symbol of the fight against extinction. With barely a dozen individuals remaining in the wild, this small cetacean, endemic to the Upper Gulf of California, faces a critical situation. However, in recent weeks, two initiatives have emerged that, from very different perspectives, attempt to give it a chance: a Spanish film denouncing the illegal trafficking that is condemning it, and a training program for young observers that has already achieved direct sightings.
July 18th is International Vaquita Day , a date that aims to raise awareness about the danger facing this species, which has been listed as critically endangered since 1996. The main threat is not direct hunting, but gillnets used to illegally catch totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder—known as the "buche"—fetches exorbitant prices on the Asian black market, especially in China. The vaquita is accidentally caught in these nets and drowns because it cannot surface to breathe.
Cinema as a megaphone for a crisis
Spanish director Nuria Ibáñez has premiered her film "The Guardian" in Spain , a film that focuses on the realities of the Upper Gulf of California. The film, which competed at the Málaga Film Festival and won the Best First Feature award at the Morelia International Film Festival, tells the story of Basilio Moncada, a worker who reports the illegal fishing of totoaba and ends up having his life threatened. Ibáñez describes the environment as "beautiful, paradisiacal, but deep down there's something much more hostile." The director explains that the true protagonist is not the vaquita porpoise, but the totoaba, which she calls "the cocaine of the sea" because of the value of its swim bladder, which has risen from $8.000 to $20.000 per kilo in just a few years. The film reflects how poverty, institutional neglect, and organized crime intertwine in a region where illegality runs rampant.
Young guardians of the sea
While film raises awareness, new guardians of the vaquita marina are being trained on the ground . Nine young people from San Felipe, Baja California, participated in a training program organized by the Group for Sustainability of the Upper Gulf of California (GIS) and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), with support from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa), and Sea Shepherd. For ten days, they sailed aboard the research vessel Seahorse, learning to use long-range binoculars, interpret acoustic signals, and collect environmental DNA samples. Despite adverse weather conditions, they achieved three direct sightings of vaquitas and multiple acoustic detections, confirming that the species is still present in the Zero Tolerance Area and its surrounding region. The goal is for Mexico to have a team of national observers by 2027, capable of leading future scientific research cruises.
An ecosystem in danger
The vaquita marina is not only the smallest cetacean in the world—measuring between 1,2 and 1,5 meters and weighing up to 55 kilograms—but its reproductive rate is also very slow : females reach sexual maturity at six years old and have only one calf every two years or more. This hinders any population recovery. Furthermore, the species has always been uncommon, according to genetic studies, making it especially vulnerable. In addition to the illegal totoaba fishery, pesticide pollution and the reduced flow of the Colorado River are altering its habitat. The Mexican government maintains surveillance operations, removes illegal fishing nets, and implements compensation programs for fishermen, but organized crime continues to operate. The vaquita is protected by Mexican law and international agreements such as CITES, but its future depends on eradicating illegal fishing.
The combination of cinematic denunciation and the training of new observers offers a glimmer of hope for a species that seemed condemned to oblivion. While science and civil society mobilize, the vaquita marina continues to swim in the murky waters of the Gulf of California, resisting with the same tenacity as the young people who have traded nets for binoculars. Its survival is not guaranteed, but every sighting, every film, and every new guardian adds a grain of sand to the fight to prevent its permanent disappearance.