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How big is a totoaba?
6.6 ft
The totoaba can grow up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length and 100 kg (220 lb) in weight, making it the largest species in the drum family, together with the similar-sized Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis) and meagre (Argyrosomus regius). The totoabas’ diet consists of finned fish and crustaceans.
What part of the totoaba fish is so valuable?
The totoaba is being sought after for its swim bladder, which is considered a delicacy in China. The dried totoaba swim bladders are so valuable that they are referred to as the “cocaine of the sea”, with prices of up to $46,000 per kg on the Chinese black market.
Why is the totoaba bladder so expensive?
The Chinese bahaba, native to the waters off south-eastern China, has a swim bladder with similar properties. Its popularity led to market prices so high it was known as “golden maw” – by weight, it cost more than gold. This led to overfishing and a rapid decline in the species’ population.
How much is a totoaba bladder?
According to the warrant application, details of which are being reported for the first time by Quartz, totoaba swim bladders sell for $20,000 to $80,000 per kilogram, “rivaling the price of gold and cocaine.”
Can you eat totoaba?
IT IS PROHIBITED TO CATCH OR CONSUME THIS SPECIES (WITH ONE EXCEPTION). The critically endangered totoaba fish must not be caught or consumed, except for one company, Earth Ocean Farms in the Gulf of California, which has a special permit granted by Mexico, called Unidad de Manejo Ambiental.
What are totoaba bladders used for?
Swim bladders enable totoaba to maintain their buoyancy in the water. They are used in traditional medicines in China and can fetch up to £15,000 on the black market. Many people believe it can cure ailments such as arthritis.
How big do totoabas get?
The totoaba can grow up to 2 m (6. 6 ft) in length and 100 kg (220 lb) in weight, making it the largest species in the drum family, together with the similar-sized Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis). The totoabas’ diet consists of finned fish and crustaceans.
What is a totoaba?
The totoaba or totuava ( Totoaba macdonaldi) is a species of marine fish, a very large member of the drum family Sciaenidae that is endemic to the Gulf of California in Mexico. It is the only species in the genus Totoaba.
How much is a kilo of totoaba worth?
It’s marketed in the black market, where it has been considered an even more expensive product than cocaine, since a kilo of swim bladder of the totoaba fish is sold to Asian traffickers for a value between 468 to 1871. 9 euros, who in turn sell it to consumers for a figure that can rise to 56,159. 5 euros.
What happened to the totoaba?
The most affected species by the poaching of the totoaba fish in addition to the fish in question is the marine vaquita, an odontocete cetacean whose population was estimated at 97 specimens by 2015. And by 2016 the situation of the marine animal does not improved since its population decreased by approximately 40%.