Crabs, fish, seabirds and whales are some of the species that were identified in initial or advanced deterioration in the Gulf of California, according to the evaluation of 41 taxonomic groups carried out by the New Generation of Sonoran Desert Researchers (N-Gen), a network of more than a thousand researchers.
Overall, the report shows an alarming decline in populations at the top of the food chain.
The report classified the species into taxonomic groups. This is the most general classification of species in nature.
Of the thirteen taxonomic groups in decline, the two that are deteriorating rapidly are marine megafauna such as whales and dolphins, and invertebrates and fish.
“Through the continuous monitoring of whales and dolphins that have been carried out in the Great Islands region, a general and marked decrease in the number of sightings (of these species) has been observed in the last eight years,” says researcher Héctor Pérez-Puig in the report.
According to Benjamín Wilder, director and co-founder of N-Gen, the degradation of this group of species could be due to overfishing and climate change.
“Species or populations that are in degradation are very good indicators and it is indirectly showing that their food is decreasing. The main hypothesis is that there are two factors that are causing this: one is the overfishing of species throughout the Gulf and climate change with the increase in water temperature that changes the zoning of the species. It can be both,” Wilder said.
On the other hand, seven taxonomic groups were stable and three were evaluated for improvement. Most of these were terrestrial species or with connections between land and sea, such as sea turtles and cardones.
Source: Benjamin T. Wilder
While 18 taxonomic groups did not show a tendency towards deterioration, stability or improvement, so they resulted in an indeterminate status, as was the case of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, among others).
To carry out this evaluation, N-Gen conducted a survey through which 32 researchers contributed 41 long-term studies in the Gulf of California, ranging from 1960 to the present, with the objective of knowing the health of this area and compiling them in a report.
“We know that there are many long-term studies focused on various parts of the Gulf, on various species and levels of the food web, and at various times, but we didn't know who was doing it, when they were done and what trends they show,” Wilder said.
Although there is no date to update this assessment, in the future they hope to make a report that not only addresses the ecological aspect but also the social aspect.
“I think it's very important to understand that there are a lot of changes going on and that they are going to greatly affect the populations of coastal communities that base their survival on the sea. So I think we can help understand the changes they mean for those communities,” Wilder explained.
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