Vaquitas are a type of small porpoise, and they are the most endangered animal in the world, at less than 10 left. Vaquitas are very sensitive to stress and cannot be taken out of the wild for any reason.
Vaquitas live in the Gulf of California in the vaquita refuge. Their main threat is illegal fishing with gill nets, which are designed to trap heads and kill anything that swims through them.
The only people who are in the gulf with ships to help the vaquitas now is an organization called Sea Shepherd that protects endangered ocean animals. They are on boats patrolling the refuge 24/7 to stop illegal fishing.
They started monitoring that area in 2015 after the vaquita population went from 567 in 1997 to just 59 in 2015. Now in 2026 their population is less than 10.
Sea Shepherd has stopped illegal fishing by 97 percent but they still need help. I am writing this letter to spread the word about the vaquitas and try to raise money for Sea Shepherd to get all the help they can get.
I learned about vaquitas volunteering at the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf, and I learned about Sea Shepherd while researching vaquitas for a school project. I realized how endangered they were and knew they needed help.
