In Mexico, A Last-Ditch Effort To Save The Vaquita, On The Verge Of Extinction
There are only 30 of the small porpoise left, due to over-fishing in the waters of the Gulf of California. Efforts to save the vaquita have pitted environmentalists against fishermen.
In Mexico, the race is on to save a small, gray porpoise that is on the brink of extinction. It's called the vaquita, which is Spanish for "small cow."
Scientists believe only 30 remain in the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf of California, between Baja California's peninsula and mainland Mexico — the only place they live in the world.
Twenty years ago, more than 600 vaquitas lived in the Gulf of California. In recent years, Mexico put forth an unprecedented and expensive effort to try and save the animal — but the vaquita's chances don't look good.
The town of San Felipe in the state of Baja California Norte, with a population of just about 30,000, is ground zero for the
