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Concern for Mexico’s vaquita as totoaba swim bladder trafficking surges online

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MEXICO CITY — The trafficking of valuable fish bladders found in Mexico appears to be on the rise online and on social media, and it’s having a ripple effect on other endangered species in the region. Dried swim bladders, or “maw,” of totoaba, an endangered fish found in the Gulf of California in northern Mexico, are being increasingly trafficked on digital platforms, according to a report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an environmental NGO. The demand for totoaba has impacted other animals that get caught in the same gillnets, most notably vaquitas, the smallest porpoise in the world. “The conservation impact of ongoing illegal totoaba fishing on critically endangered vaquitas is clear,” the report said. “The species will simply not survive without the elimination of the illegal trade in totoaba.” Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) swim bladders are a delicacy in China because of their use in traditional medicines and cosmetics, and can go for thousands of dollars per kilogram. Catching them requires using illegal gillnets that often pull up the endemic vaquita (Phocoena sinus), whose population numbers have dwindled to just 10 individuals, according to the report. In the late 1990s, the population was at 567. A dried totoaba swim bladder. (Photo courtesy of EIA) EIA’s investigation found an increase in the number of swim bladders online. Since 2020, there have been over 230 sold over the internet, the report said. The number of posts surged with the easing of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, such as China’s ban on the trade…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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