Foreign Affairs

DiCaprio Prioritizes Porpoises In Meeting With Mexican President

No featured image available

Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio put porpoises first when he met with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto Wednesday, signing an agreement that would do away with the use of gillnets in the Northern California Gulf, the Associated Press reports.

The mission of DiCaprio, Nieto, and Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim is to save the vaquita porpoise through DiCaprio and Slim’s foundations. The use of gillnets to catch another type of fish, the totoaba, has caused a number of vaquita porpoises to die as a result of being caught in the nets. Only two dozen are believed to still exist in the wild.

The three men hope to collaborate to provide monetary help and attempt to offer other options to replace totoaba fishing.

Enforcement and regulation will serve as the foundation of their plan, as activities like night fishing have now been banned in the Northern Gulf. Authorities will also ramp up their entry and exit policies and exercise more scrutiny in who they let in and out of the Gulf.

“This action is a critical step towards ensuring that the Gulf of California continues to be both vibrant and productive,” said DiCaprio.

DiCaprio has been vocal on environmental issues in America and abroad, however, some have criticized him for preaching clean energy and still owning a private jet and several large expensive homes.

You can Follow Nick on Twitter and Facebook