WDCS in the North and Central East Pacific

The North Pacific is a temperate to tropical region that historically has witnessed high dolphin deaths occurring in the Eastern Pacific tuna fishery. From the late 1950s until the 1990s, some six million dolphins died in tuna purse seine nets in this fishery.

The small inshore population of vaquita is subject to heavy bycatch in gillnet set for totoaba, sea bass, rays and sharks, and is also known to be taken in shrimp trawls.

WDCS's historical contribution to this region has included conservation projects to protect:

• Blue whale found off Baja California Peninsula, Mexico; and
• Orca - northern and southern resident populations of orcas, found off British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA.

Issues WDCS is currently working on in this region:

WDCS Species Programme