Dear MARMAM community, The Scientific Committee of the IWC today issued its first ever Extinction Alert - for the vaquita. After nearly thirty years of warnings, the Committee reached the sombre conclusion that a new mechanism is needed to voice extinction concerns for an increasing range of cetacean species and populations. This first Extinction Alert statement is issued today in order to encourage wider recognition of the warning signs of impending extinctions, and to generate support and encouragement at every level for the actions needed now to save the vaquita. The statement says: "The decline of the vaquita has continued despite a very clear understanding of both the cause (bycatch in gillnets) and the solution (replacement of gillnets With safe alternatives in the vaquita habitat." The statement also points to lessons that can be learned, particularly the need for early and multi-disciplinary actions that look beyond the immediate conservation concern to address wider factors. Read the full text of the IWC Extinction Alert: Statement of Concern for the Vaquita<https://archive.iwc.int/?r=20358>. Please contact me with any questions. Best wishes Kate Wilson INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION The Red House, 135 Station Road, Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9NP, UK t. +44 (0) 1223 233971 d. +44 (0) 1223 209302 www.iwc.int<http://www.iwc.int/> [A picture containing table Description automatically generated] This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential or legally privileged information and is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the named addressee you should delete the email and notify the sender immediately. E-mails are not secure and cannot be guaranteed to be error free as they can be intercepted, amended, or contain viruses. Any opinion and other statement contained in this message and any attachment are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the International Whaling Commission.
