mental fishing continued in the spring of 1986 and 1987, and at 

 least a few porpoise were taken. Although the directed fishery 

 for totoaba remains closed, the incidental take of harbor 

 porpoise may be continuing because of illegal fishing and a 

 general increase in the use of gillnets and tangle (trammel) nets 

 for a variety of other fish species. 



In 1988, researchers from the Center for the Study of 

 Deserts and Oceans and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de 

 Mexico began a cooperative program, funded by the Center for 

 Marine Conservation, to interview fishermen in the northern Gulf 

 of California. The objectives were to obtain better information 

 on incidental porpoise mortality and to advise fishermen and 

 others of the rare and endangered status of the species. 



In September 1989, the results of the study were provided to 

 the Marine Mammal Commission and others. From information 

 gathered during interviews with fishermen, the researchers 

 concluded that: (1) 90 percent (20 of 22) of the porpoise taken 

 incidental to fishing operations were caught in five- and six- 

 inch mesh nets; (2) take occurred from January through August, 

 with most animals caught between March and June; (3) 43 percent 

 of the 14 animals taken in six-inch mesh nets were caught in the 

 area between Adair's Bay and the Colorado River, 36 percent 

 between the Colorado River and San Felipe, and 21 percent in the 

 area of Isla San Jorge and Puerto Penasco; (4) the take in five- 

 inch mesh nets occurred predominately in the area between the 

 Colorado River and San Felipe; and (5) all reported take occurred 

 in waters less than 50 meters deep. The report estimated that 

 the harbor porpoise population in the northern Gulf of California 

 is being depleted at a rate of 32.3 animals per year largely due 

 to entanglement in the nets of totoaba and shark fishermen. 



To reduce or eliminate the incidental take of harbor 

 porpoise, the report recommended that: (1) gillnet fishing be 

 prohibited in the northern Gulf of California and/or the shrimp 

 protection zone (i.e. , a Reserve Zone established in 1955 to 

 protect spawning shrimp in the upper Gulf of California) be 

 expanded to include waters north of San Felipe and to exclude 

 shrimp fishing and gillnetting with five- and six-inch mesh nets; 



(2) funds be obtained to buy buoys and mark protected areas; 



(3) actions be taken to prevent the sale of totoaba, particularly 

 in the United States; (4) efforts be taken to develop alternative 

 sources of income, such as aquaculture, for fishermen in this 

 area of Mexico; (5) fishermen be educated on the danger of over- 

 exploiting Gulf of California marine resources; and (6) a meeting 

 be convened to develop a plan of action. 



At the end of 1989, the Commission was reviewing the report 

 to determine actions that might usefully be taken by the United 

 States to assist Mexico's ongoing efforts to protect and 

 encourage recovery of the Gulf of California harbor porpoise. 



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