Off the coast of Mexico, poachers battling each other for totoaba swim bladders are using drug cartel-like tactics to source it—pushing two species toward extinction and leaving ordinary fishermen fighting to survive. And the “cocaine of the sea” discreetly displayed in Guangzhou, China sell for up to $20,000
Gulf of California turns into battleground
The totoaba is a fish endemic to the Eastern Pacific. The poachers particularly source the swim bladders—gas filled bladders in fishes that help control their buoyancy—as they are prized in Chinese traditional medicine for their purported healing and beautifying properties. The black market has turned the Gulf of California into a battleground, criss-crossed by armed poachers, Mexican navy vessels and environmental activists patrolling with pirate flags.
Just like drug cartels
Authorities say poachers filet the totoaba at sea, stash the swim bladders in hidden compartments and toss the bodies back into the water, according to AFP. Then they ship their haul in small quantities —the same strategy used by drug cartels. Mexican authorities have begun using the same tactics they use against cartels: tapping phones and following the money
Panda of the sea and Leonardo DiCaprio
Flying a black flag with a white skull, activists from the US environmental group Sea Shepherd patrol the waters off San Felipe. Poachers have been known to open fire on Sea Shepherd drones. The casualties of this war include not only the critically endangered totoaba, but also the world’s smallest porpoise, the vaquita marina—of which just 30 remain—and local fishermen caught in the middle
Mexican authorities say the vaquita has been virtually wiped out by totoaba fishing, because it gets stuck in the same kind of net. Known as the “panda of the sea” for the distinctive black circles around its eyes, the porpoise has become a cause celebre for the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim