Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead to Tragic Conservation Outcomes

A recent study debunks unsupported claims that the decline of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise is due to reduced freshwater flow from the Colorado River, caused by damming. Instead, it reaffirms that the primary threat to the vaquita's survival is incidental capture in gillnets, particularly those used for illegal totoaba fishing. The research challenges baseless assertions that the Gulf of California was historically an estuarine environment with significant freshwater influence, citing evidence from salinity data and biological productivity studies. It emphasizes that the vaquita is a marine species and that its habitat has remained highly productive despite river flow reductions. The study warns against the spread of fake science, which can divert conservation efforts away from real threats, ultimately hindering effective protection strategies for this endangered marine mammal.

Rojas-Bracho, L., Brusca, R. C., Álvarez-Borrego, S., Brownell, R. L., Camacho-Ibar, V., Ceballos, G., de la Cueva, H., García-Hernández, J., Hastings, P. A., Cárdenas-Hinojosa, G., Jaramillo–Legorreta, A. M., Medellín, R., Mesnick, S. L., Nieto-García, E., Urbán, J., Velarde, E., Vidal, O., Findley, L. T., & Taylor, B. L. (2018). Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead to Tragic Conservation Outcomes. BioScience, 69(1), 12–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biy138