The race to save the vaquita, a tiny porpoise living in the northern Gulf of California, began in earnest this week with the launch of an international campaign in Ensenada, Mexico.

earthOCEAN speak with scientist Robert Pitman, of the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. He recently returned from China, where he participated in an international expedition, searching for the critically endangered river dolphin called ‘baiji’. View the guide for Teachers.