ANNEX C: Summary: Vaquita biopsy and photo ID field efforts, September 22-29, 2018 Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho1, Armando Jaramillo Legorreta2, Gustavo Cárdenas Hinojosa2, Edwyna Nieto García2, Diego Ruiz Sabio3, Annette Henry4 , Barbara L. Taylor4. 1.
Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Ensenada, BC, México
2.
Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático, Ensenada, BC, México
3.
Museo de la Ballena y Ciencias del Mar, La Paz, BCS
4.
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, La Jolla, CA.
A field effort to obtain photographs and biopsies from vaquita was held between September 22 and 28, 2018. Preparations and setup were conducted on the 22nd and 23 rd to prepare the ship (the Museo de la Ballena’s Narval) and the small boats (3 belonging to Museo de la Ballena RHIBs and a panga belonging to a fishermen). Cell culture was supplied by the San Diego Zoo and small field coolers specially set up for field use in hot temperatures were supplied by Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC). SWFSC also loaned much of the equipment needed for the visual search (25x big eye binoculars with stands, handheld binoculars, computers and VHF radios). The visual team tracked vaquitas using a computer program specially modified for use with vaquitas (WinCruz Vaquita) that was developed for VaquitaCPR. Acoustic equipment (CPODs) were supplied by SEMARNAT. The Narval was modified for visual operations on the flying bridge and all vessels were shaded. The effort was timed to take advantage of the availability of several key vaquita observers and a good weather window. C-POD data were analyzed to give us the highest chance of locating vaquitas. Although the number of detections were low, the data allowed us to focus in a small area between sampling sites 12, 18, 46 and 55(see map below). Winds less than 7 knots are needed to spot vaquita. Conditions were not optimal on September 24-25 but were sufficient to allow the team to practice making a sighting, assembling the ‘tracking team’ on the flying bridge and quickly getting the biopsy/photo teams to the small vessels with all the needed equipment. Vaquita sightings were made on September 26 and photos were obtained. Sighting #003 was a mother and calf that were photographed. The pair was observed surfacing within a body length of one another over 30 times. At one point the pair came close (about 20m) to the panga but they were coming directly towards the vessel and so no biopsies could be taken. The mother was photographically matched to the likely mother of V01F from 2017. This pair was tracked from 9:10 until 10:09 (59 minutes). A second pair (#004) was sighted at 10:03 and tracked until 10:26 (23 minutes). Observers thought the second pair were different and of roughly equal size to one another, which was confirmed in photos.
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