IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Cetacean Specialist Group

China’s Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), was declared likely to be extinct in 2006, due to threats in the wild such as habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes, which were not effectively dealt with using the management tools available prior to that time. Mexico’s vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a porpoise found only in the Upper Gulf of California, will become extinct in the near future if the illegal fishery to obtain fish swim bladders for illicit international markets is not eliminated very soon.

China’s Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), was declared likely to be extinct in 2006, due to threats in the wild such as habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes, which were not effectively dealt with using the management tools available prior to that time. Mexico’s vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a porpoise found only in the Upper Gulf of California, will become extinct in the near future if the illegal fishery to obtain fish swim bladders for illicit international markets is not eliminated very soon.

An independent scientific review panel was formed under the auspices of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) to review the results of research on belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), or white whales, in the Sakhalin–Amur region of eastern Russia and to assess the sustainability of recent live-capture removals.

Consistent evaluation and new recommendations for action are required of protective measures to address threats that were unrecognised or non-existent until recently. Global warming, noise pollution and reduced availability of prey are now of great concern. The all too familiar threats of accidental killing in fishing gear and exposure to toxic chemicals remain almost intractable. This Action Plan reviews threats and offers possible solutions. It also contains a thorough review of the status of species and a list of 57 recommended research projects and education initiatives