The Mexican government carried out an operation in March to remove illegal gillnets set to catch totoaba, releasing several fish that were still alive.
Totoaba are listed as an endangered species, meaning their harvest is prohibited. However, illegal totoaba fishing remains popular due to the high value of their swim bladder on the international market.
Totoaba nets also frequently catch vaquita porpoises, an extremely endangered species which is facing extinction.
On 25 March, a joint operation between the Mexican Navy, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, and the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) seized three illegal gillnets set up in the Upper Gulf of California and the Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve to catch totoaba. Law enforcement removed roughly 6,000 meters of netting.
Twenty-five totoaba were caught before law enforcement were able to remove the nets, according to the Mexican government. The 10 surviving totoaba were released back into the water, while the dead fish were rendered to ensure no poachers could make use of the carcasses.
Two sea turtles were also discovered in the net and released alive.
The operation is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to stop illegal totoaba fishing and protect vaquita.
The Mexican government has worked closely with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to tackle the illegal totoaba trade, increasing patrols and surveillance in the region. Earlier in March, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced that its latest operation with the Mexican government had resulted in the removal of 9 kilometers of illegal gillnets, the release of seven totoaba, and the destruction of 72 dead totoaba.
“The illegal totoaba trade, driven by black market demand for swim bladders in China, generates millions of dollars for organized crime,” the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said on its website. “These profits fuel broader cartel operations, from narcotics to human trafficking, making illegal fishing not just a threat to marine life but a direct contributor to cross-border criminal networks.”
In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated USD 2.7 million (EUR 2.46 million) worth of totoaba swim bladders.
That same year, the Secretariat to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) sanctioned the Mexican government for not doing enough to address illegal fishing issues; the sanctions were lifted after Mexico adopted an action plan.
In January of this year, the government declared it had completed the objectives of the 2023 action plan created to help protect the two species.
