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Gulf of California home to many
rare marine animals
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Upwelling of water from the depths stirs the sea into a mix of nutrients supporting immense concentrations of plankton and, as a consequence, fish, dolphins, whales, and seabirds. |
Although waters in the northern portion of the gulf are seldom deeper than 600 feet (180 meters), the southern part can reach depths of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). Upwelling of water from the depths stirs the sea into a mix of nutrients supporting immense concentrations of plankton and, as a consequence, fish, dolphins, whales, and seabirds.
Biodiversity: One of the Western Hemisphere's most biologically rich subtropical seas, the Gulf of California is a critical feeding, breeding, and nursery ground for some of the world's rarest marine animals, including 32 species of marine mammals, 170 species of sea birds, 3,000 species of invertebrates, and 900 species of fish.
The 900 or more islands and islets in the gulf serve as important nesting sites for migratory and residential birds and breeding grounds for sea lions. The coral and rocky reefs that dot its shallow waters are home to a wide variety of fragile organisms, including corals that do not exist in any other sea.
One of the world's rarest and most endangered sea mammals, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus) can be found only in the upper Gulf of California. This harbor porpoise, called "little cow" by local fishermen, is the smallest of the world's cetacean species. Regularly seen in the waters of the Gulf of California are the world's two largest whales-the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), as well as the California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Less common in these waters are the hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) and the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), one of the world's largest fish species.
Among the numerous bird species observed in the islands of the gulf are the elegant tern (Sterna elegans), the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii), the magnificent frigate bird (Fregata magnificens), Heerman's gull (Larus heermani), the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), several species of hummingbirds and migratory songbirds, and the yellow-footed gull (Larus livens), which exists nowhere else on Earth.
The remarkable richness of the waters of the Gulf of California makes it Mexico's most important fishing zone. In addition to crustaceans, fish found in these waters include the yellow snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris), the leopard grouper (Mycteroperca rosacea), the Mexican goatfish (Mulloidichythys dentatus), the Mexican hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia), and the endangered totoaba fish (Totoaba macdonaldi), which exists only in the Sea of Cortez.
On the volcanic desert hills surrounding the gulf stand the world's two largest cacti species, the cardon (Pachicereus pringlei) and the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), which can reach heights of 50 feet (15 meters). Another cacti species found on Catalina Island is the giant biznaga (Ferocactus diguetii).
The Threat: Only a few hundred years ago, the Colorado River formed a large delta of swamps and low forests at the northern mouth of the Gulf of California. Today, water that once flowed downward to the gulf in abundance has been diverted for irrigation in the deserts of the southwestern United States. The diminished river now trickles to the sea through a lifeless expanse of mud flats and giant sand dunes. If the ecosystem is to continue to function as a breeding grounds and nursery for birds and aquatic species, an influx of freshwater is needed.
Even the water that does reach the gulf carries runoff from agriculture, industry, and people, and these contaminants are having negative effects on rare sea mammal populations. Research is now being carried out to investigate the levels of toxins accumulated in whales.
The large fleets of shrimping boats that regularly ply the gulf's waters have recently seen marked declines in annual catches. Blue crab fishing in the Gulf of California threatens to expand beyond renewable capacity as commercial fishermen in search of this crustacean are driven northward from their customary fishing grounds in the southern part of the gulf. The pots used by local fishing communities are also causing long-term damage to beds of sea grass.
Other threats include sedimentation from inland deforestation, bilge from ships, the construction of tourist marinas in sensitive coastal areas, and the risk of oil spills from a steady traffic of oil tankers.
WWF in the Gulf of California: Initial WWF-sponsored research on island seabirds, sardines, anchovies, and other gulf species in 1992 led to the first year of an intensive analysis of small-scale fishery activities in the Grandes Islas region in 1998. Maps developed in cooperation with local fishermen will become part of a database that will help WWF analyze the political, social, economic, and ecological implications of managing the area's fisheries.
In 1998, WWF helped create a new regional organization, Communidad y Biodiversidad, based in Kino Bay, Sonora. Working with this new organization, WWF's regional office in the port of Guaymas is seeking an expansion of protected marine areas around key gulf islands; developing strategies to eradicate nonnative species; and involving local communities in the protection of wetlands in Bahma Santa Marma, a vital corridor for birds migrating between North and South America.
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