1. Emily, Brenda, Josh, Mykaela, Alex, Mikayla
Vaquita Porpoise
Emily, Brenda, Josh, Mykaela, Alex, Mikayla
Intro: State names, what we are going to talk about.

2. A common term in fishing. What do you think it means?
What is Bycatch?
Hint:
A common term in fishing.
What do you think it means?
Writing Activity- Explain that this is a term important to learning about the vaquita. Students share out answers, but correct explanation is not shared out until next slide.

3. Vaquitas are constantly caught as bycatch
What is Bycatch?
Vaquitas are constantly caught as bycatch
in fishermen’s nets.
Explain bycatch: “In Finding Nemo, when Dory and Nemo are caught in a net with other fish, they are bycatch. That means they are fish that the fisherman did not want to catch. Anything that is unintentionally caught is bycatch.”

4. What is the Vaquita Porpoise?
The smallest Cetacean in the world
Lives near the shores of the Gulf of Mexico
About 4-5ft. in length
Weigh around lbs
Lifespan is up to 21 years
Has black rings around its eyes and black lips
Cetacean: Marine Mammal. Live in water about 25 miles from shore and about 130ft depth. Females are bigger than males by a few inches and one or two pounds.

5. Vaquita Life They are very shy creatures They live in shallow waters
Eat small fish and little squids
Travel alone or in small groups
The vaquita is an extremely shy creature, thus the reason why little research has been completed on them- no one can ever find them! Are afraid of vessels and any activity above water surface. Living in shallow waters makes the vaquita more likely to be caught in nets. The vaquita will travel in a max of about 4 per groups.

6. What is Biological Complexity?
However complex an organism is
Evolution effects biological complexity overall
Low and High complexity are good
Biological complexity is how complex an organism is depending on how much it has evolved. Humans have arms, legs, and more complex brains, being the dominant species on earth.
If the organism evolves more, it becomes more complex / less complex

7. What is Evolution? Changing to the surrounding environment
Small modifications at the genetic level
Also known as Natural Selection
Physical evolution takes a long time
Evolution is the change in genetics which can modify physical forms over a long period of time. Evolution doesn’t just mean gaining traits, it could mean losing useless traits too, which leads losing unnecessary weights and faster reproduction due to less resources needed to reproduce.

8. Evolution: Where did the Vaquita start
Evolution: Where did the Vaquita start? How is it related to other porpoises?
Used to live south of Peru
about 2.5 million years ago.
Believed to have Evolved
from The Burmeister Porpoise
Used to live south of peru because of its closest cousin, the Burmeister’s porpoise about 2.5 million years ago. It is assumed that the Vaquita evolved from an ancestral population that moved north into the Gulf of CA 1 million years ago. Is the closest relative to the Burmesiter porpoise, which lives in south american waters

9. Only porpoise adapted to living in warm water.
Evolution: How has evolution affected specific traits of the Vaquita? How did it adapt?
Only porpoise adapted to living in warm water.
Most porpoises: 68ºF water
Vaquitas live in water as
warm as 57ºF-97ºF.
Vaquitas are the only porpoise species adapted to living in warm water. A million years ago, as they traveled, their bodies evolved to live in warm waters. Most porpoises inhabit water that is cooler than 68 degrees. Vaquitas will live in water that is 57 degrees in the winter and 97 in the summer.

10. Threats to the Vaquita Fisheries bycatch Habitat loss
Pesticide pollution
Natural factors
Bycatch: 40 vaquitas die per year from bycatch. Commercial fishing for shrimp, totoaba, scombrids involve gill nets and vaquita's are vulnerable to these nets. The vaquitas are entangled and drown due to the lack of oxygen.
Habitat loss and degradation: This porpoise's habitat has been altered by damming of the Colorado River in the United States.
Pesticide pollution: In the Colorado River the presence of organic compounds and chemical fertilizers, which concentrate in the watershed are being dragged to the ocean.
Natural factor: White sharks, mako, blacktips as well as other shark species are suspected to be eating Vaquitas.

11. Why is the Vaquita Endangered?
Endangered since 1986
Less than 200 left
40 Vaquitas die of bycatch per year
In 1986, it was determined that the vaquita was endangered. It is estimated that anywhere from less than vaquitas remain in the ocean. About 40 vaquitas die from bycatch every year. Pollution and habitat degradation also contributes to the vaquita’s endangerment.

12. Red: Zone where net fishing is not allowed.
Vaquita Habitat
Red: Zone where net fishing is not allowed.
The remaining 200 vaquita live in the north end of the Gulf of Mexico. Since they are generally in such a small area, the Mexican government has banned net fishing within the red area on the map.

13. Why do we NEED to save the vaquita?
Warning
Biodiversity
Values
The extinction of the Vaquita is a huge warning that something can cause harm to other sea animals and not just nets.
The extinction of the Vaquita may cause threatening changes to the sea life in the Gulf of mexico that we may not foresee yet.
The loss of the vaquita may cause the loss of other organisms, or may even cause the bringing of other organisms that could potentially be lost .

14. History of Conservation Efforts
International Committee for the Recovery
of the Vaquita
Refuge in San Felipe
Mexico established new
conservation efforts in 2012
$30 million for fishermen
to find other ways to fish
ICRV: created in 1997 by the Mexican government. Refuge of San Felipe: no gill nets allowed, created in Gill nets have been banned in the Vaquita’s habitat as of September 1st, 2014

15. Conservation Plan What is conservation? Eliminate gill nets
Keep our ocean & beaches clean
Reduce uses of pesticides that
drains to the ocean
Conservation is the act of protecting something, usually a living species. We need to get rid of all fishing nets that can possibly harm the vaquita.

16. Buy seafood MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified
How YOU Can Help
Buy seafood MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified
Tell your friends and family!
Give examples of how kids can find MSC certified food. Talk about how if people tell their friends/family about the vaquita’s endangerment, they can spread awareness.

17. activity so that you can
Now we will conduct an
activity so that you can
help the Vaquita!
Begin activity, slide is just to conclude the powerpoint.

18. Sources