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Mexico Moves to Revise Upper Gulf Fishing Rules to Protect Vaquita, Prompting Alarm Over Reported Area Cuts

Officials cite recent monitoring to justify focusing protections on the Zero Tolerance Zone.

Overview

  • Federal, state and municipal authorities met with fishers and agreed to update the 2020 regulation, proposing an adjusted no‑gillnet polygon centered on the Zero Tolerance Zone.
  • Semarnat says the revisions draw on CIRVA and CITES guidance and multiple datasets, including SNIB historical records, CONANP acoustic data, and recent sightings.
  • Monthly follow‑ups were set for San Felipe, Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco, with coordination among Semarnat, Conapesca, Profepa, Conanp, the Navy and local governments.
  • The plan includes developing gillnet‑free fishing methods and value‑added marketing to sustain local livelihoods alongside conservation.
  • Separately, El Imparcial reports the government is weighing a cut of more than 85% to the current no‑gillnet area, which environmental groups warn would raise extinction risk for the estimated 7–10 remaining vaquitas.