naturalist

The latest issue of American Cetacean Society’s Whalewatcher was edited by Thomas Jefferson, who will be a Searcher naturalist on the Jan 23-Feb 3, 2011 tour.

This issue is titled “Porpoises in Peril: The Vaquita and its Relatives” and features the porpoise that inhabits the northern Sea of Cortez in Baja California. Because the vaquita is limited to a small range and population size (125-150 animals), and due to the serious decline in numbers, it is considered to be one of the most endangered cetaceans in the world. Most probably this is due to the entanglements in gillnets used by fishemen. Conservationists are hopeful that removing these nets from their habitat can help the species recover.

This issue contains articles and photos from researchers and an illustrations of the porpoise family. We will have a copy in the onboard Searcher library and issues may be available for sale soon on the ACS web site.