Page 28 - aruba-today-20181020

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 20 OctOber 2018

Experts urge gulf refuge for endangered vaquita porpoise

By MARK STEVENSON Jaramillo says the incoming
Associated Press government of President-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Ex- elect Andres Manuel Lopez
perts called on Mexico’s Obrador, who takes office
government Wednesday Dec. 1, should also focus
to use floating barriers to more effort on shore patrols
enclose a small area of the to keep illegal fishing boats
Gulf of California where a from setting to sea and to
half dozen critically endan- break up the trafficking of
gered vaquita porpoises totoaba parts on shore.
were spotted in Septem- However, Lopez Obrador
ber. has pledged to create jobs
The sightings were an un- in rural areas so Mexicans
expected mix of good and don’t have to migrate, and
bad news for the world’s he is under pressure from
smallest porpoise, which fishermen who want to get
has been driven to the brink back to work. The current
of extinction by nets set il- administration expanded
legally to catch totoaba, and enforced a widened
a fish whose swim bladder ban on the use of gillnets
is considered a delicacy in that kill vaquitas by drown-
China. ing them but are also used
One of the porpoises was by fishermen to catch a va-
identified by experts as In this Sept. 2018 handout photo released by El Museo de la Ballena y Ciencias del Mar, a pair of riety of shrimp and fish be-
Ana, a mother that was critically endangered vaquita porpoises swim in the Gulf of California. side the totoaba.
spotted with her second Associated Press Some in the incoming ad-
new calf in two years. Va- year came from just four easier to protect,” he said. “If we don’t stop illegal fish- ministration seem ready to
quitas usually have only monitors, out of 46 that Diego Ruiz, head of the ing, they could become write off the vaquita.
one calf every two years. once detected them. Baja California Sur-based extinct in a year, or the Josefa Gonzalez, who will
“This means the rate of “Nowadays we hear very, Museo de la Ballena, has year after,” Jaramillo said. head the Environment
recovery could be dou- very few vaquitas,” Jara- proposed erecting a barrier Because the totoaba blad- Department under Lopez
ble” what was previously millo said. of buoyant tubes support- ders are trafficked for big Obrador, said in an inter-
thought, said Lorenzo Ro- Alejandro Olivera, the ing above-water nets that profits in China, efforts by view with the newspaper
jas-Bracho, who has led an Mexico representative for wouldn’t restrict the vaqui- the Mexican navy to pre- La Cronica earlier this year
international team of sci- the Center for Biological tas’ movements but would vent illegal fishing have fal- that a lot of money has al-
entists working to save the Diversity, estimated only keep small fishing boats out tered. The illegal fishermen, ready been spent on the
porpoise. about 15 porpoises remain, of what may now be the who are believed linked to endangered porpoise with
“If we stop killing them, which would be in line with species’ last habitat. drug cartels, use go-fast no results.
they will recover,” he said, a 30-individual estimate Some experts also are sug- boats and have resorted to “I don’t think the vaquita is
noting that other endan- from last year. The species gesting stationing a navy violence — shooting down going extinct; it has already
gered animals like the Cali- has been collapsing at a ship permanently in the drones with rifles, running been driven to extinction
fornia condor have been rate of almost 50 percent middle of the vaquita’s last their boats into navy patrols by negligence and corrup-
coaxed into recovery from a year. refuge. and threatening activists. tion,” she said.q
extremely low population That might mean the six or
numbers. seven vaquitas seen from
But a network of acoustic the ship Narval on Sept. 26- Mysterious paralyzing illness
monitoring devices that lis- 28 were about half of all
mates aren’t due out until found among kids in 22 states
ten for the “clicks” made those still alive. Official esti-
by vaquitas to navigate in-
dicate they have essential- January.
ly disappeared from about Jaramillo sees a silver lin- By MIKE STOBBE such as polio and West Nile Health officials call the con-
86 percent of their historic ing — or a last chance — AP Medical Writer virus, have been ruled out. dition acute flaccid myelitis.
range in the Gulf of Califor- in the fact that most of the NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Another kind of virus is sus- The CDC would not release
nia. remaining vaquitas have health officials on Tuesday pected, but it’s been found a list of the states reporting
Armando Jaramillo, an ex- been reduced to such a reported a jump in cases of in only some of the cases. probable or confirmed cas-
pert from the National Ecol- small area, roughly a 12- by a rare paralyzing illness in “This is a mystery so far,” the es. But some states have
ogy Institute who oversees 25-mile (20 by 40 kilometer) children, and said it seems CDC’s Dr. Nancy Messon- previously announced clus-
the acoustic program, said rectangle. to be following an every- nier said in a call Tuesday ters, including Minnesota,
50 percent of all underwa- “Now we have a zone that other-year pattern. with reporters. Illinois, Colorado, New York
ter “clicks” detected this is relatively smaller and At least 62 cases have About 90 percent of the and Washington.
been confirmed in 22 states cases are children who The cases in 2014 and 2016
this year, and at least 65 have suffered muscle were partly attributed to
additional illnesses in those weakness or paralysis, in- particular strains of respira-
states are being investigat- cluding in the face, neck, tory germs called entero-
ed, according to the Cen- back or limbs. The symp- viruses, which spread the
ters for Disease Control and toms tend to occur about most in the summer and
Prevention. Similar waves of a week after they had a fall.
the same illness occurred in fever and respiratory illness. Lacking an established
2014 and 2016. It is “a pretty dramatic dis- cause, health officials con-
CDC officials say they ease,” but fortunately most firm cases through a re-
haven’t found the cause. kids recover, Messonnier view of brain scans and
Some possible suspects, said. symptoms.q