CIRVA: International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita

During the 48th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Aberdeen UK, Mexico presented a recovery strategy for the vaquita (IWC/48/25). The main component was the creation of a Committee of International and National scientists. The Committee was conformed by invitation of the Mexican Government, through the President of the Instituto Nacional de la Pesca (Mexico's National Fisheries Institute) and the first meeting was held in late January of 1997 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The mandate of the group was to create a Recovery Plan for this species. The Plan was to outline the best strategy for recovery based on the knowledge and information available.

Since 1997, the Committee has met a further three times to review and update the Recovery Plan. The most recent meeting took place at this year's IWC 2007 convention in Anchorage. Following the latter, the IWC passed a Resolution on Vaquita.

CIRVA Predicts Less than 213 Vaquita Left

Given the only good estimate of Vaquita abundance (567 in 1997), the maximum expected growth rate (4% per year) and the best estimate of by-catch rate (13.76% per year), CIRVA estimate that the population have fallen to approximately 213 in 2007. There is considerable uncertainty in these numbers, and the situation could be even worse. The situation is clearly dire, and unless immediate action is taken, this species is likely to follow the Yangtze River Dolphin as the next species to go extinct [Statement by Jay Barlow, NOAA Fisheries, May 11th 2007].

Click on the CIRVA Report icon below for full details of the 1997 Vaquita Recovery Plan and official reports of all CIRVA meetings to date.