The totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) is a large, endangered marine fish endemic to the Gulf of California, Mexico. Renowned for its swim bladder, which is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, the totoaba has been the target of intense illegal fishing, leading to severe population declines. Mexico is the primary—and virtually the only—country where totoaba is found and harvested, both legally (in the past) and illegally (in recent decades). The commercial totoaba fishery in Mexico was officially closed in 1975 due to overfishing, but illegal fishing persists, driven by international demand, particularly from China. While there have been efforts to farm totoaba in Mexico for legal export, the wild fishery remains illicit and is closely linked to the decline of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, which often becomes bycatch in illegal totoaba gillnets. Thus, Mexico stands as the central country associated with totoaba fishing, with China as the main consumer market for its swim bladders, fueling ongoing conservation challenges.
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Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.