Vaquita : science, politics, and crime in the Sea of Cortez, Brooke Bessesen
Type
Label
Vaquita : science, politics, and crime in the Sea of Cortez, Brooke Bessesen
Language
eng
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-283) and index
Illustrations
illustrationsmaps
Index
index present
Literary Form
non fiction
Main title
Vaquita : science, politics, and crime in the Sea of Cortez
Nature of contents
bibliography
Oclc number
1046982959
Responsibility statement
Brooke Bessesen
Summary
"In 2006, the last of China's Yangtze river dolphins--baiji--succumbed to extinction, and la vaquita marina, a diminutive porpoise endemic to the Upper Gulf of California, quietly and without fanfare inherited the title of world's most endangered marine mammal. Unlike many other critically endangered species, the vaquita is not hunted. Nor is its habitat disappearing or degraded. The species is even protected by law. Why then have its numbers plummeted to near extinction when few humans have seen it live in the wild? The answer lies in a shadowy mix of international cartels, fishermen entrapped by politics and culture, and an unlikely fish called the totoaba. In this haunting story, Brooke Bessesen sets out to Mexico's Upper Gulf region to untangle the intricacies of the biology, acoustical science, and international intrigues behind the vaquita's decline. She interviews townspeople, fishermen, politicians, scientists, and activists, teasing apart a complex story filled with villains and heroes, a story whose outcome is unclear. When diplomatic and political efforts to save the little porpoise fail, Bessesen follows a team of veterinary experts in a binational effort to capture the last remaining vaquitas and breed them in captivity--the best hope for their survival."--Dust jacket flap
Table Of Contents
The dead girl -- Resource extraction -- Chasing a myth -- Tangled agendas -- Death, drugs, and accountability -- Pirates on patrol -- Searching for Vaquita -- Hearing is believing -- Science in the sea -- Witnessing extinction -- Saving Bigfoot -- Sending out an SOS -- Meet the totoaba -- Last-ditch effort -- Hope is a life raft (with a persistent leak) -- Epilogue
Classification
Contributor
Creator
Subject
- Poaching -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Endangered species -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Endangered ecosystems -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Phocoena sinus
- Totoaba fisheries -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- California, Gulf of (Mexico) -- Commerce
- Wildlife conservation -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Rare mammals -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
Content
Author
writerofforeword
Mapped to
Incoming Resources
- Has instance1
Outgoing Resources
- Classification1
- Contributor1
- Creator1
- Subject8
- Poaching -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Endangered species -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Endangered ecosystems -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Phocoena sinus
- Totoaba fisheries -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- California, Gulf of (Mexico) -- Commerce
- Wildlife conservation -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Rare mammals -- Mexico -- California, Gulf of
- Content1
- Author1
- writerofforeword1
- Mapped to1