Vaquita Marina
The world’s most endangered marine mammal. Fewer than 10 remain. Found only in the northern Sea of Cortez, Mexico. They are shy, rarely seen, and disappearing silently. This campaign exists because silence is not an option.
The Crisis
The vaquita porpoise has been pushed to the edge of extinction by illegal fishing nets set for the totoaba fish. Despite international attention and conservation efforts, poaching continues. Every individual that remains is irreplaceable. Time has almost run out.
Gillnets set illegally for the totoaba fish — whose swim bladder fetches enormous prices on the black market — entangle and drown vaquitas. This bycatch has been the single greatest driver of their collapse.
The totoaba is itself endangered, yet criminal networks continue to harvest it for the Chinese black market. The vaquita pays the ultimate price for this trade.
Reduced water flow from the Colorado River, pollution, and climate change have degraded the Sea of Cortez ecosystem, compounding the threat to the last surviving individuals.
With fewer than 10 individuals remaining, every death is catastrophic. There is no margin left. The next few years will determine whether the vaquita survives at all.
Where things stand: A September 2025 survey by Mexico’s government and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society counted 7 to 10 vaquitas, including at least one or two new calves — proof the species is still reproducing, but with no margin for error. The population has fallen from roughly 567 individuals in 1997 to single digits today, driven almost entirely by illegal gillnets set for totoaba. Every net removed and every enforcement patrol funded directly changes these odds.
The Human Ecosystem of This Campaign
Like the vaquita, no single voice is more important than another. Every contributor plays a vital part in sustaining this campaign’s living web of action and awareness.
Document and share the science of vaquita survival. Ground this campaign in truth.
Campaign against illegal totoaba fishing and demand stronger enforcement. Turn awareness into policy and pressure.
Make art that gives this invisible creature a face. Beauty is one of the most powerful forces for change.
Spread the vaquita’s story before it is too late. Every share extends this campaign’s reach.
Support conservation efforts in the Sea of Cortez directly. Fund or amplify where it counts most.
Connect international communities around this urgent cause. Shared networks multiply every single effort.
Contributions to This Campaign Already Made
This campaign is already alive — fed by the work of artists and advocates who answered the call first. Here is what has been offered so far.
Paintings by Jasmine
Two luminous paintings by Jasmine capturing the beauty and fragility of the vaquita — rendering visible a creature so rarely seen that most of the world does not know it exists.
A patterned portrait of the critically endangered vaquita, the world’s rarest marine mammal. Artwork by Jasmine for Shikibuntu’s Vaquita Campaign.
Save the vaquita: end the illegal totoaba trade and remove deadly gillnets from its habitat.
Video by Gala
A spoken-word video essay by Gala on the vaquita crisis — tracing the collapse of a species from illegal nets to the silence of a sea without porpoises. Urgent and moving.
Second Video by Gala
A follow-up video by Gala confronting the political reality of vaquita protection — the failed enforcement, the criminal networks, and what it would actually take to save them.
Take Action Now
The most powerful thing you can do today is help this story reach the people who need to hear it. Every action — however small — is part of the fight to save the vaquita.
Watch both of Gala’s video essays and share them widely. Every view is a voice added to this campaign.
Share Jasmine’s paintings across your networks. Art reaches people that facts alone cannot.
Write to SEMARNAT and the Mexican government demanding stronger enforcement of the vaquita protection zone.
Donate to or amplify the work of organisations operating in the Sea of Cortez to protect the last vaquitas.
Add Your Contribution
Are you a scientist, artist, writer, or activist who wants to support this campaign? Every contribution strengthens the ecosystem — there’s a place for you in it, whatever your gift.
“Silence is not an option when fewer than 10 remain.”
[Gala/Claude: this button will link to the Contribute-to-a-Campaign form once it’s built — placeholder for now]
Author: Gala Dichiara
I’m Gala, a biologist, artist, writer, conservation communicator, adventurer, and lifelong learner. I’m passionate about far too many things (and always adding more): from diving, wildlife, and storytelling to music, extreme sports, and building communities. But above all, animals are where my heart feels most at home. Through Shikibuntu, I’m creating a global community that reconnects people with nature and with each other, because I believe every act of care can ripple into meaningful change.