Environmental watchdogs have flagged a Mexico-based startup as potentially violating trade laws by selling health supplements using ingredients sourced from the endangered totoaba fish.
The Associated Press reported The Blue Formula has been accused of selling health supplements using ingredients extracted from the totoaba, a critically endangered fish native to the Gulf of California. The species has been listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and poaching for the species has been associated with risks to the vaquita – another critically endangered animal.
The Blue Formula’s website calls out its use of totoaba ingredients, saying its groundbreaking health solution includes “our unique marine collagen, derived from totoaba fish extract.” The company also claims purchasing its products will directly contribute to "freeing" a totoaba in the wild.
The consumption of totoaba for health purposes is one of the reasons the fish is endangered – it has been listed as an endangered species since 1979. The swim bladders of the species resemble the swim bladders of bahaba – or yellow croaker – another engendered species. Both species’ swim bladders fetch high prices on the black market in China, as they are believed to have health benefits when eaten.
The company claims it sources all of its fish from Cygnus Ocean Farms, an aquaculture company in Mexico that focuses on the production and commercialization of totoaba.
However, totoaba is currently classified under CITES as “Appendix I,” species considered threatened with extinction that are banned from all trade barring exceptional circumstances. An aquaculture operation could register itself through CITES for commercial sale and export, but according to the Associated Press, Cygnus Ocean has no such permit.
Cygnus Ocean is not the only company farming totoaba. Earth Ocean Farms, another aquaculture company in Mexico, has also seen success farming totoaba, and has done so for over two decades. The company attempted to receive permission from CITES to export its products, but CITES decided in 2019 that it would continue its restrictions.
Earth Ocean Farms also releases totoaba – without a requirement customers purchase health drinks. The company has released tens of thousands of totoaba hatchlings across multiple scheduled events, with the most recent featuring 35,000 juveniles released in June 2023.
Since 2019, there has been little improvement on the plight of the totoaba. The continued inaction led CITES to announce sanctions against Mexico for its failure to take action against illegal fishing, though it ultimately lifted those sanctions following meetings with the Mexican government.
Regardless of CITES sanctions, the species is still considered illegal to export or trade across international borders. In the U.S., Customs and Border Protection has seized millions worth of totoaba swim bladders in 2023 as smugglers attempt to bring the product into the U.S.
Photo courtesy of Cygnus Ocean Farms
