MEXICO · ENVIRONMENT
Key Facts
- The country Mexico is the US southern neighbour, and its Gulf of California is the only home of the vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise.
- What happened Mexico published a rule on Wednesday 14 October that cut the gillnet ban zone in the Upper Gulf of California by 86%, effective Thursday 15 October.
- The numbers The ban zone shrinks from 11,106 to 1,562 square kilometres, freeing about 9,544 square kilometres for gillnet fishing with permits.
- What stays A 225-square-kilometre zero-tolerance zone stays closed to all fishing, and night fishing is barred in the restricted area.
- The animal Monitoring in 2025 sighted only seven to ten vaquitas, calves included, and the count is not a full census.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- Still open Whether fewer closed waters will push the vaquita porpoise closer to extinction, and how soon boats must carry trackers.
Mexico has cut the net ban zone that protects the vaquita porpoise by 86%, in a rule effective Thursday 15 October. The change covers waters off Baja California and Sonora, the only place on Earth where this tiny porpoise lives.
According to Nación321 and Infobae, the ban zone shrinks from 11,106 to 1,562 square kilometres. The United States has listed the vaquita porpoise as an endangered species since 1985, and Mexico describes the Upper Gulf as its only habitat.
What the New Rule Changes
Nación321 reports that the rule appeared in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, Mexico’s official gazette, on Wednesday 14 October. It took effect the next day and replaces federal provisions from 2020.
The area where gillnets and trammel nets are banned falls from 11,106 to 1,562 square kilometres. About 9,544 square kilometres are no longer covered by the old ban, although gillnet fishing there needs the proper permits.
Gillnets are walls of netting that hang in the water and trap fish by their gills. A vaquita porpoise that swims into one cannot surface to breathe and can drown.
What Stays Banned
To shield the vaquita porpoise, gillnets stay banned inside the smaller 1,562-square-kilometre zone where fishers may use only approved selective gear. A zero-tolerance zone of 225 square kilometres stays closed to fishing and navigation, with exceptions for official and research vessels.
Commercial fishing is barred in the restricted area between 19:00 and 05:00. Boats must carry monitoring systems, and inspectors can seize gear that breaks the rules.
Full tracking on small boats could take up to 12 months after the budget is approved, Nación321 reports. The environment ministry, Semarnat, says it will enforce the rules together with the Navy, the fisheries agency Conapesca and the environmental prosecutor Profepa.
Why the Vaquita Is So Fragile
The vaquita porpoise is the world’s smallest porpoise, and it lives only in the northern tip of the Gulf of California. NOAA, the US ocean agency, says the species has been listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act since 1985.
Nación321 says monitoring in 2025 sighted only seven to ten animals, including calves, and notes that this is not a census. Mexico’s national parks agency, Conanp, reported on 1 October that three sightings in May 2026 fell outside the zero-tolerance zone.
NOAA says illegal fishing for the totoaba, a large fish whose swim bladder is sold in China, is a major driver of vaquita deaths. A federal agreement in July 2017 banned most gillnets in the vaquita’s range.
What the Government Says
President Claudia Sheinbaum backed the change at her morning press conference. She said the goal is to protect the vaquita porpoise while letting people who have lived there for generations make a living.
Sheinbaum said the new boundary followed talks with local communities and a review of scientific data. Officials told Infobae that the natural reserve itself is not reduced.
Marina del Pilar Ávila, the governor of Baja California, welcomed the rule. She said looser limits will ease the pressure on fishing families in Baja California and Sonora.
The government also cited the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, known as CIRVA, to mark where the animals gather. CIRVA is an expert panel that advises Mexico on the species.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the rule tests how Mexico balances a US-listed endangered species against coastal fishing income, part of its wider natural resources debate. Seafood buyers and importers may watch how Gulf of California catches are fished, since the vaquita is protected under US law.
The rule governs fishing boats, not visitors, and Nación321 and Infobae report no change to travel rules. Visitors to San Felipe or Puerto Peñasco who join fishing trips could meet more boat inspections.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how many vaquita porpoises live in the freed waters or how many will meet nets there. Infobae reports that environmental and conservation groups have questioned the 86% cut, without naming them.
The reports do not say when tracking will reach every small boat, because it depends on budget approval. It is also open whether the United States will respond to the change under its own marine mammal laws.
More: Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the vaquita porpoise?
The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise and lives only in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. Monitoring in 2025 sighted only seven to ten animals, including calves.
What exactly did Mexico change?
Mexico cut the zone where gillnets are banned from 11,106 to 1,562 square kilometres, according to Nación321 and Infobae. The rule appeared in the official gazette on 14 October and took effect on 15 October.
Is any fishing still banned to protect the vaquita porpoise?
Yes, gillnets stay banned in the smaller zone, and a 225-square-kilometre zero-tolerance zone is closed to fishing. Night fishing is barred there between 19:00 and 05:00.
Why do gillnets harm the vaquita?
A vaquita that swims into a gillnet cannot reach the surface to breathe and can drown. Illegal fishing for the totoaba, whose swim bladder is sold in China, has also hurt the vaquita porpoise, according to NOAA.
Does the rule affect tourists or US seafood buyers?
The rule governs fishing boats, and the reports describe no change to travel rules. Seafood buyers may watch how Gulf of California catches are fished.
Sources: Nación321, government cuts the vaquita protection zone, 15 October 2026; Infobae México, government confirms the 86% reduction, 15 October 2026; NOAA Fisheries, vaquita species profile, accessed 16 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief