Vaquitas are the worlds most critically endangered marine mammal with fewer than 10 individuals remaining, dying in illegal gillnets set for totoaba fish.
Gillnet entanglement causes drowning in what may be the last individuals of this species. Each death represents irreversible loss of the species. Disturbance from enforcement vessels causes stress to the few surviving animals. The population is likely below the threshold for viable recovery, making every individual's welfare and survival of existential importance to the species.