Mexico Partially Lifts Total Ban on Totoaba Fish Export
The Nikkei Asia reported on Sunday, July 13, that the Mexican government has partially lifted the total ban on the export of Totoaba fish. The Totoaba fish, scientifically known as Totoaba macdonaldi, is a large fish species that has gained popularity in China due to its anti-aging properties.
The Totoaba fish is a species endemic to the eastern Pacific Ocean in the Gulf of California. What makes its swim bladder (commonly known as fish maw) unique is the presence of tendrils at the front end, which are used in luxury cuisine or traditional medicine. It is reported that the price of Totoaba fish maw smuggled to China exceeds $8,500 per kilogram.
In 1976, the Totoaba fish was listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), becoming the first fish species to be listed under Appendix I, prohibiting international commercial trade. In 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the fish from endangered to critically endangered status, and this status remains unchanged to date.
In recent years, due to conservation efforts and the release of young fish bred in captivity into the wild, the Totoaba fish population has started to recover.
Over the past decade, coastal areas in Baja California, Mexico, have been cultivating Totoaba fish to restore their population numbers. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Mexico anticipates that if the restoration efforts progress smoothly, it may eventually allow the legal export of artificially cultivated Totoaba fish.
Furthermore, the Mexican government has called for enhanced monitoring to prevent new smuggling activities.
The report mentioned that Mexican drug cartels not only import precursors of drugs like cocaine and fentanyl from China for smuggling into the United States but also traffic illegally caught Totoaba fish to China for profit.
Due to the involvement of these criminals, this fish has earned the nickname “marine cocaine.”
It is believed that Mexico’s largest drug cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, is also involved in the smuggling of Totoaba fish.
In June 2024, the Mexican National Guard confiscated 80 dried Totoaba fish swim bladders at a bus station in the western state of Jalisco.