SHARPIE

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Sea Shepherd ship attacked by poachers

The Sea Shepherd vessel 'Sharpie' came under gunfire in the upper Gulf of California on Feb 9, 2020, while on a voyage to protect the critically endangered vaquita marina porpoise. Four fishing skiffs known as pangas approached the ship and began to chase it at full speed just after 10:00 a.m. At least two shots fired from the pangas landed in the water near the vessel but it was not hit. There were no injuries among the conservationists on board nor the officials from the navy, Federal Police and Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) who accompanied them. The incident occurred in an area of the upper Gulf of California known as a “critical zone” because several vaquitas have been sighted there. In response to the attack, the captain of the 'Sharpie' carried out anti-piracy procedures, which included the use of water cannons. Profepa condemned the attack in a statement and said that it would cooperate with investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice. It also said that it would continue to collaborate with Sea Shepherd and security forces in the effort to protect the environment. The vaquita marina population has been decimated by the illegal use of gillnets to catch totoaba, whose swim bladders are considered a delicacy in China and sell for thousands of dollars. The mammals often become entangled in the nets and drown. Experts estimate that there were only between six and 19 vaquitas left in the Gulf of California, the only place in the world they live. The attack on Feb 9 occurred in the same area where Sea Shepherd found a dead vaquita trapped in a net last March. Profepa said that the vaquita was in a state of advanced decomposition but had stab wounds consistent with the cutting of the net in which the animal was entangled. Sea Shepherd has been collaborating with Mexican authorities for six years to remove gillnets from the Gulf of California. Report with photo: https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/conservationists-shot-at-by-poachers-during-gulf-of-california-patrol/