Report on Gulf of California health shows some species decline as others rebound

A new report that aims to get a temperature check on the health of the Gulf of California is painting a complicated picture of how the region is doing, as some species rapidly decline while others are on the rebound.

The report combines the efforts of 41 long-term ecological research projects from 32 different scientists, all looking at aspects of the Gulf’s health. Biologist Ben Wilder, one of the report’s lead researchers, said he got the idea to put all of these existing studies together after a friend asked him a question: What is the health of the Gulf of California?

“I was like, 'damn, that’s a really good question. I don’t really know!' And we should be able to answer that better than I can. … Because it’s a simple question, right, but it’s outrageously complex,” Wilder said.

It turns out, the answer is just as complicated.

Wilder said primary systems that keep the Gulf healthy, all based on cold, deep water, remain stable. But waters are still warming, much like they are all over the world due to climate change, and many of the Gulf’s species are in decline.

“There’s a lot of change happening as a result of these warm waters,” Wilder said. “And then the pressures from overfishing are perhaps even more so taking a great toll.”

The report finds that more species populations are declining than are improving. For example, the whale population is in “rapid decline” as one of their main food sources, the Humboldt squid, declines as well.

The research shows there have been declines in many of the whale species within the Gulf, including fin whales, blue whales and pilot whales.

“Observations have plummeted in recent years,” Wilder said. “And some of the observations that are happening are showing really emaciated, very thin individuals.”

Still, there’s evidence to suggest conservation efforts are working. Hawksbill and green sea turtle populations are rebounding, due in part to protections for mangrove habitats around the Gulf.

“All the conservation work focused on sea turtles has really proven positive,” Wilder said.

Wilder’s own research also shows good news. He studies cardón cacti on the remote Isla San Pedro Mártir. That population has increased. Those cacti can be a good indicator for the health of the rest of the ecosystem, since they get fuel from guano, or seabird excrement, and those seabirds rely on the ocean for food.

“It’s kind of one of these long-trail linkages between the land and the sea,” Wilder said.