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"In 2006, the last of China's Yangtze river dolphins--baiji--succumbed to extinction, and la vaquita marina, a diminutive porpoise endemic to the Upper Gulf of California, quietly and without fanfare inherited the title of world's most endangered marine mammal. Unlike many other critically endangered species, the vaquita is not hunted. Nor is its habitat disappearing or degraded. The species is even protected by law. Why then have its numbers plummeted to near extinction when few humans have seen it live in the wild? The answer lies in a shadowy mix of international cartels, fishermen entrapped by politics and culture, and an unlikely fish called the totoaba. In this haunting story, Brooke Bessesen sets out to Mexico's Upper Gulf region to untangle the intricacies of the biology, acoustical science, and international intrigues behind the vaquita's decline. She interviews townspeople, fishermen, politicians, scientists, and activists, teasing apart a complex story filled with villains and heroes, a story whose outcome is unclear. When diplomatic and political efforts to save the little porpoise fail, Bessesen follows a team of veterinary experts in a binational effort to capture the last remaining vaquitas and breed them in captivity--the best hope for their survival"--

Wildlife conservation --- NATURE / Animals / Marine Life. --- NATURE / Endangered Species. --- NATURE / Environmental Conservation & Protection. --- Totoaba fisheries --- Rare mammals --- Poaching --- Phocoena sinus --- Endangered species --- Endangered ecosystems --- Phocoena sinus. --- Cochita --- Cochito --- Gulf of California harbor porpoise --- Gulf porpoise --- Harbor porpoise, Gulf of California --- Vaquita --- Phocoena --- Threatened ecosystems --- Biotic communities --- Nature conservation --- Endangered animal species --- Endangered animals --- Endangered wildlife --- Threatened animal species --- Threatened animals --- Threatened species --- Threatened wildlife --- Vanishing species --- Vanishing wildlife --- Wildlife, Endangered --- Wildlife, Threatened --- Wildlife, Vanishing --- Species --- Rare animals --- Hunting --- Offenses against property --- Wildlife crimes --- Endangered mammals --- Threatened mammals --- Vanishing mammals --- Mammals --- Rare vertebrates --- Fisheries --- Animal conservation --- Animals --- Conservation of wildlife --- Preservation of wildlife --- Protection of wildlife --- Species conservation --- Species preservation --- Species protection --- Wildlife preservation --- Wildlife protection --- Wildlife resources conservation --- Wildlife resources preservation --- Wildlife resources protection --- Conservation of natural resources --- Wildlife management --- Economic aspects --- Social aspects --- Conservation --- Social aspects. --- Economic aspects. --- California, Gulf of (Mexico) --- Cortés, Sea of (Mexico) --- Cortez, Sea of (Mexico) --- Golfo de California (Mexico) --- Gulf of California (Mexico) --- Sea of Cortés (Mexico) --- Sea of Cortez (Mexico) --- Vermilion Sea (Mexico) --- Commerce. --- Environmental conditions.