President Enrique Pena Nieto formally inaugurated a plan Thursday to save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise found only in the Sea of Cortez.
There are fewer than 100 vaquitas left and the head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico, Omar Vidal, called the shy, elusive porpoise "an emblematic species for Mexico, the equivalent of the panda for China."
The vaquita is threatened by gillnet fishing for totoaba, a huge fish whose swim bladder is prized by chefs in China.
The new measures will prohibit gill nets in much of the upper Sea of Cortez . . .
Not ready to subscribe? Join the free Vallarta Daily Brief for local headlines, practical updates, and occasional free guides. Join Newsletter
