The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and over 100 of its members have pledged over $1 million to help save the Vaquita porpoise, the world’s most endangered marine mammal. The Vaquita’s habitat is in the Gulf of California, and Mexico is leading the effort to save the animal with a pledge of $3 million. Phoenix Zoo president and CEO Bert Castro will talk about efforts to save the Vaquita and the Zoo’s participation.
TED SIMONS: THIS IS "ARIZONA HORIZON." COMING UP NEXT: EFFORTS TO SAVE THE ENDANGERED "VAQUITA" PORPOISE.
TED SIMONS: WHAT IS THE VAQUITA PORPOISE AND WHY HAS THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS, INCLUDING THE PHOENIX ZOO, PLEDGED OVER 1-MILLION DOLLARS TO HELP SAVE THE VAQUITA? HERE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS IS PHOENIX ZOO PRESIDENT AND CEO BERT CASTRO. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANKS FOR JOINING US.
BERT CASTRO: THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
TED SIMONS: WHAT IS A VAQUITA?
BERT CASTRO: IT'S A PORPOISE, THE SMALLEST IN THE WORLD. IT LIVES 50-MILES SOUTH OF THE ARIZONA BORDER ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 30 LEFT. AT ONE POINT BACK IN THE LATE '90S, THERE WERE 600. THE POPULATION WAS NEVER HUGE BUT BECAUSE OF POACHING, THEIR POPULATION HAS DIMINISHED.
TED SIMONS: WE ARE TAKING A SHOT, 5X5, 120-POUNDS, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES?
BERT CASTRO: THAT'S CORRECT. VERY SMALL.
TED SIMONS: SMALL, BUT ARE THEY FRIENDLY? YOU ARE DESCRIBING CLOSE TO OR AT ROCKY POINT, CORRECT?
BERT CASTRO: THAT'S CORRECT.
TED SIMONS: ARE THEY FRIENDLY? WILL THEY BUMP INTO YOU?
BERT CASTRO: THEY ARE VERY ELUSIVE. THEY WERE ONLY DISCOVERED IN 1958. THERE IS NOT A LOT KNOWN ABOUT THEM. IN THE '90S YOU, YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THEM. WITH ONLY 30 LEFT, MIGHT BE DIFFICULT.
TED SIMONS: WHAT IS GILL NETTING?
BERT CASTRO: IT'S A FORM OF FISHING. IT LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW WHAT'S HAPPENING, POACHERS ARE TRYING TO GILL NET AN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF FISH CALLED THE TOTAABA. IT'S ABOUT SIX FOOT IN LENGTH, A VERY LARGE FISH. IT'S THE ASIAN BLACK MARKET IS -- PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET THE SWIM BLADDER OF THE --
TED SIMONS: IS THAT A DELICACY? WHY ARE THEY SO CRAZY ABOUT THIS?
BERT CASTRO: THEY BELIEVE IT HAS MEDICINAL PURPOSES RELATED TO FERTILITY. IF YOU GO TO ASIA YOU MIGHT BUY A BOWL SWIM BLADDER FROM $7,000 TO $14,000.
TED SIMONS: IS THIS INDUSTRIAL FISHERMAN OR ALL FISHERMAN?
BERT CASTRO: ALL FISHERMAN.
TED SIMONS: SO THEY ARE REALLY GOING AFTER THIS, AND IF THEY CATCH THE VAQUITA, WHAT HAPPENS TO IT?
BERT CASTRO: THEY GET INTO THE NET, ENTANGLED AND CAN'T GET TO THE SURFACE. THEY DISCARD THE VAQUITA AND TAKE THE REST OF THE FISH.
TED SIMONS: NOW I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A RESCUE EFFORT INCLUDING BUILDING A SANCTUARY DOWN THERE IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA, TALK TO US ABOUT THIS.
BERT CASTRO: THERE IS. THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS WORKING WITH EXPERTS, INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS AROUND THE WORLD TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO SAVE THE VAQUITA. IT WILL COST ABOUT $4 MILLION TO DO THAT. IN THAT PLAN, THE IDEA IS TO GET THEM OUT OF THE WILD, PUT THEM INTO A SAFE HAVEN AND UNDER HUMAN CARE. THAT WILL ENTAIL BUILDING POOLS, POSSIBLY A SEA PEN ALONG THE COAST. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, THEY'LL PROBABLY GO EXTINCT.
TED SIMONS: WHAT IS THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT DOING ABOUT THAT? I THOUGHT THERE WAS A BAN ON THIS.
BERT CASTRO: THERE IS. TWO YEARS AGO THEY PUT A BAN ON IT AND SEVEN THE MEXICAN NAVY IN TO ENFORCE THE BAN AND SUPPLEMENTED THE FISHERMAN $74 MILLION OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR LOSSES. WITH ALL OF THAT SAID, IT HAS NOT WORKED. THE DEMAND IS SO HIGH IN ASIA AND LUCRATIVE, PEOPLE TAKE RISKS TO CAPTURE THIS FISH, AND UNFORTUNATELY THE VAQUITA IS IN PERIL BECAUSE OF IT.
TED SIMONS: THE PLAN IS TO BUILD A SANCTUARY. HOW MUCH MONEY NEEDS TO BE RAISED? HOW MUCH HAS BEEN RAISED?
BERT CASTRO: AMERICAN ZOOS AND AQUARIUM IS $2.2 MILLION. THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WILL DONATE THE OTHER MILLION DOLLARS. THE MONEY IS THERE. THEY ARE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER TO PUT THE PLAN IN PLACE. IN THE MEANTIME, THEY HAVE TO BUILD THE FACILITIES. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'LL DO, BUT IT LOOK LIKE THEY NEED A FEW MONTHS TO GET IT READY SO THEY CAN DO THIS INTERVENTION.
TED SIMONS: SO YOU WILL LET THESE THINGS BREED AND STAY AWAY FROM GILL NETTING, AND WOULD YOU RELEASE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE?
BERT CASTRO: WE DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE VAQUITA. WE DON'T KNOW HOW WELL THEY'LL DO BEING CAPTURED OR IN CAPTIVITY. IT HAS BEEN DONE WITH TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS. THERE WERE 18 AND NOW THERE ARE 8,000. THEY HAVE DONE THAT WITH OTHER SPECIES LIKE THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR AND A FEW OTHER SPECIES. THE DIFFICULTY IS DOING THIS WITH A MARINE ANIMAL THAT WE DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT.
TED SIMONS: RIGHT, YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHERE TO START. WELL GOOD LUCK WITH THIS. CONGRATULATIONS ON THE EFFORT. LET'S HOPE WE HEAR A LOT MORE ABOUT VAQUITAS.
BERT CASTRO: THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
Bert Castro: President & CEO of the Phoenix Zoo
