The last hope for helping the vaquita porpoise dodge extinction could be a project to capture some of the few that remain and breed them in semi-captivity, according to a group of international experts set up to monitor the species. Other experts, however, say the plan could actually accelerate the demise of the snub-nosed resident of the Gulf of California that appears set to become the fifth marine mammal on record to go extinct. The latest report released this week by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, or CIRVA, a team set up by Mexican authorities to observe the vaquita population, argues that "ex-situ approaches" must be seriously considered. The CIRVA report accepts that the project carries with it major risks because the vaquita has never before been kept in captivity, but argues that there could be no other option left.

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