Civil organizations demand destitution of Fishery Department Director over vaquita case

In the last five years, the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries ( CONAPESCA ) and the National Fisheries Institute ( INAPESCA ) have allowed actions to the detriment of the marine vaquita species , fostering its extinction , according to civil society organizations, reason why they demand the director of the federal departments to be removed from his charge.

During a press conference, María Elena Sánchez de Teyeliz, environmental expert, explained that the population of the vaquita is currently less than 30 individuals because CONAPESCA, directed by Mario Aguilar , has obstructed national and international regulations, laws, and Government programs seeking to preserve this rare species.

Juan Carlos Cantú, representative of Defenders of Wildlife said the vaquita has never been a species hunted for trading purposes, which is why fishing authorities have disregarded its extinction. “If the vaquita becomes extinct, the problem will be solved; there will be no more guidelines or laws to worry about.”

Miguel Rivas from Greenpeace claims that during the administration of Mario Aguilar, the closed season of 8 protected species, among them, the Gulf weakfish, weren't duly observed. This was a factor that has contributed to the endangerment of the vaquita and shows the negligence of the department because the Gulf weakfish fishing is considered a critical activity for the vaquita, and from 2012 to 2017 the fishing of the Gulf weakfish increased 86%, when the programs and regulations recommended a decrease of fishing activities in the area.

The organizations demand that Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto orders the immediate destitution of Mario Aguilar and the president of INAPESCA; the immediate update of the National Fishery Chart; and the return of the fishing sector to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), “so that a public policy on sustainable fishing can be developed, taking into account the communities and ensuring the protection of our oceans and their resources, to prevent cases like the vaquita.”

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