Mexico sanctioned for not protecting endangered porpoise

Mexico acknowledged Saturday it faces sanctions from the international wildlife body known as CITES for not doing enough to protect the vaquita marina, a small porpoise that is the world’s most endangered marine mammal.

The sanctions are to be announced next week and could make it difficult for Mexico to export some regulated animal and plant products such as crocodile or snake skins, orchids and cactuses. Commercial seafood species such as shrimp would not be affected, but the ruling sets a precedent and some groups are pushing for seafood import bans.

“While no one relishes economically painful sanctions, all other efforts to prompt Mexico to save the vaquita have failed,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We hope these strong measures wake up the Mexican government.”

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said in a statement that CITES had ruled that Mexico’s protection plan for the vaquita was insufficient.

Studies estimate there might be as few as eight vaquitas remaining in the Gulf of California, the only place they exist and where they often become entangled in gill nets and drown.