Dear MARMAM, Every year, we and our conservation partners dedicate oneday of the year to draw people’s attention to the plight of the vaquita,International Save the Vaquita (ISTV) Day. This year, the event will occur on Saturday, 10 October. As in the past, it will feature a half-daylive-streamed event (available for viewing on YouTube and several other platforms),as well as several in-person booths and tables at venues in California andOregon. The focus of all these activities will be to increase publicawareness, education, and support for the vaquita and its conservation. This year, as the species struggles tosurvive among the web of illegal gillnets that kill them in the northern Gulfof California, Mexico, we feel a renewed sense of hope. The estimates of the size of the vaquitapopulation, although frighteningly small (about 10-15), appear to have remainedrelatively stable over the past several years. This suggests that their numbers may no longer be declining. The remaining vaquitas are survivors, and wewant to give them the best possible chance to rebuild their species’numbers. To do so, they need yoursupport, and also for the several things to happen: 1) The Mexican Government to stop the illegalfishing that is killing them, 2) The Chinese Government to clamp down on theillegal import of totoaba swim bladders that fuel the illegal fishing, and 3) The US Government to redouble its efforts tostop the smuggling of totoaba bladders from Mexico to China, through USchannels. Please join us on Saturday, 10 October, as we present thelatest findings on the status of the vaquita population, and hear from expertswho are working to save the species. Thelive-streamed event will have a panel discussion at the end, which will providea chance for viewers to ask questions and have them answered by vaquitascientists and conservation leaders. Andbe sure to tell all your friends and family members about the vaquita, and thisyear’s ISTV Day event, so that we can all work together to get the word out tomore people! Check back on our website< https://vivavaquita.org/save-the-vaquita-day/> regularly to get updates on the plans and the latest schedule ofevents. Thank you all for your concernabout the vaquita and for doing your part to help save Mexico’s lovely littleporpoise from the tragedy of extinction! Tom JeffersonDirector, VIVA Vaquitasclymene@aol.comwww.vivavaquita.org