# Totoaba

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{{use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Short description|Endangered species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| italic_title = no
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|16|0|[Early Miocene](/source/Early_Miocene) to present}}
| image = Totoaba.jpg
| image_caption = 
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author1=Cisneros-Mata, M.Á. |author2=True, C. |author3=Enriquez-Paredes, L.M. |author4=Sadovy, Y. |author5=Liu, M. |year=2021 |title=''Totoaba macdonaldi'' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T22003A2780880 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T22003A2780880.en |access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref name="FishBase">{{Fishbase| genus=Totoaba | species=macdonaldi | month=May| year=2021 }}</ref>
| genus = Totoaba
| parent_authority = [Villamar](/source/Alejandro_Villamar), 1980<ref name = Villamar>{{cite journal |author=Alejandro Villamar |year=1980 |title=Totoaba, un nuevo género de la familia Sciaenidae del Golfo de California, México (Pisces: Teleostei) |journal=Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, México |volume=23 |issue=1/4 |pages=129–133 |url=https://biblat.unam.mx/hevila/AnalesdelaEscuelaNacionaldeCienciasBiologicas/1980/vol23/no1-4/9.pdf|lang=Es}}</ref>
| species = macdonaldi
| authority = ([Gilbert](/source/Charles_Henry_Gilbert), 1890)
| synonyms = ''Cynoscion macdonaldi'' <small>Gilbert, 1890</small>
| range_map = Totoaba map.jpg
}}

The '''totoaba''' or '''totuava''' ('''''Totoaba macdonaldi''''') is a species of [marine fish](/source/marine_fish) [endemic](/source/endemic) to the [Gulf of California](/source/Gulf_of_California) in [Mexico](/source/Mexico). It is the largest member of the drum family [Sciaenidae](/source/Sciaenidae)<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web | title=Totoaba (''Totoaba macdonaldi'') | department=NOAA Office of Protected Resources  | publisher=[NOAA](/source/NOAA) | date=2012-12-05 | url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/totoaba.htm | access-date=2014-08-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129212957/http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/totoaba.htm | archive-date=2016-01-29 }}</ref> and is the only extant species in the genus '''''Totoaba'''''. Originally an abundant species, the totoaba is now considered endangered due to human-related threats that contributed to its population decline.

== Distribution and habitat ==
Although the totoaba population has declined due to nearly 50 years of overfishing, they have maintained their historical distribution range across the Gulf of California, inhabiting the northern part of the Gulf, the south of La Paz, the west of Baja California Sur, and the east of Mármol, Sinaloa.<ref name="IUCN"/> Interestingly, the genus ''Totoaba'' appears to have had a slightly wider range on the western North American coast in prehistoric times; a [fossil](/source/fossil) [otolith](/source/otolith) assigned to the extinct species ''[T. fitchi](/source/Totoaba_fitchi)'' is known from the [Oclese Sand Formation](/source/Oclese_Sand_Formation) in [Kern County](/source/Kern_County%2C_California), California, suggesting that it reached as far north as there during the late part of the [Early Miocene](/source/Early_Miocene).<ref>{{Cite journal|publisher=California Academy of Sciences |author=Harry L. Fierstine|author2= Richard W. Huddleston|author3=Gary T. Takeuchi |url=https://archive.org/details/occasionalpaper00calif/occasionalpaper00calif/page/128/mode/1up |page=128 |journal=Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences |orig-date=1890 |location=San Francisco|title=Catalog of the Neogene bony fishes of California |volume=159 |date=20 January 2012}}</ref> 

New studies have indicated a possible expansion in range for the living totoaba population from their historical southern limit of west Bahía Concepción and east in the mouth of the El Fuerte River, Sinaloa to more southward bound areas such as in the Bay of La Paz and off Mármol.<ref name="IUCN" /> However, this range expansion is still being researched as there is a lack of information on the totoaba prior to its decline.

The totoaba use different habitat areas of the Gulf for their [ontogenetic](/source/ontogenetic) migratory pattern which consist of pre-recruits, juveniles, pre-adults, and adults.<ref name="Cisneros-Mata">{{cite journal |author=Cisneros-Mata, M. A. |author2=Botsford, L. W. |author3=Quinn, J. F. | journal=Ecological Applications | title=Projecting Viability of ''Totoaba macdonaldi'', a Population with Unknown Age-Dependent Variability | volume=7 | issue=3 | pages=968–980 | year= 1997 | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/1051-0761%281997%29007%5B0968%3APVOTMA%5D2.0.CO%3B2 | issn=1939-5582 | doi=10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0968:PVOTMA]2.0.CO;2 | access-date=15 October 2024| url-access=subscription }}</ref> Each location provides different environments to sustain that specific life stage. However, their habitat has been altered due to the damming of the Colorado River specifically the upper Gulf which is their spawning and nursery area. 

The totoaba habitats consists of either brackish or marine waters depending on their life stage. They mainly inhabit coastal areas, but have been found in rocky reef areas. Their water depth ranges from 1 to 70 meters, and temperature ranges from {{convert|15-29|C}}.<ref name="Hernandez">{{cite journal |author=Hernández-Tlapale, C. |author2=De-Anda-Montañez, J. A. |author3=Trasviña-Castro, A. |author4=Valenzuela-Quiñonez, F. |author5=Ketchum, J. T. |author6=Muhlia-Melo, A. | journal= Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom | title=First record of vertical movements of the totoaba (''Totoaba macdonaldi'') as evidenced by pop-up satellite tags in the Upper Gulf of California | volume=100 | issue=1 | pages=143–151 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | date= February 2020 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2353334925 | issn=0025-3154 | doi=10.1017/S0025315419001188 | bibcode=2020JMBUK.100..143H | access-date=15 October 2024| id={{ProQuest|2353334925}} | url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="IUCN" /> The totoaba is a [demersal](/source/demersal) fish, spending time at the bottom of soft, sandy coastal areas. 

thumb|Totoaba caught off Point Palmill, Baja California Sur. October 2017. Catch courtesy of Jo Barcimo. Photograph courtesy of Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas, La Playita, Baja California Sur. Website https://mexican-fish.com/totoaba/

== Species description ==
While there is no formal compilation of the color, shape, or other characteristics besides size and weight of the totoaba, a website dedicated to the photography and species information of Mexican fishes has compiled a cohesive enough species description of the totoaba. The totoaba can reach a size of up to {{convert|2|m|ft|1}} and weight of {{convert|135|kg|lb}}.<ref name="Rod">{{cite journal |author=Rodríguez-Jaramillo, C. |author2=Valenzuela-Quiñonez, F. |author3=Balart, E. F. |author4=Palacios-Mechetnov, E. |author5=Méndez-Rodríguez, L. C. |author6=Román-Rodríguez, M. J. |author7=De-Anda-Montañez, J. A. | journal=Animal Reproduction Science | title=Reproductive biology of the totoaba (''Totoaba macdonaldi''), an endangered species in the Gulf of California | volume=259 | article-number=107363 | date=1 December 2023 | url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037843202300177X | issn=0378-4320 | doi=10.1016/j.anireprosci.2023.107363 | pmid=37931566 | access-date=15 October 2024| url-access=subscription | doi-access=free }}</ref> The totoaba coloration is silvery with darker fins and a light belly.<ref name="Mex">{{Cite web |title=Totoaba |website= Mexican Fish.com | url=https://mexican-fish.com/totoaba/ | access-date=18 October 2024}}</ref> There is no sexual dimorphism between the males or females.<ref name="Rod"/> The juveniles tend to be spotted in comparison to the adults, specifically having a spotted second dorsal fin.<ref name="Mex"/> The totoaba have an elongated compressed fusiform body shape with a terminal oblique mouth and lower jaw that projects slightly.<ref name="Mex"/> The totoaba has two dorsal fins with a clear separation between them. The anterior dorsal fin is a spinous portion, and the posterior dorsal is a soft-rayed portion providing balance, maneuverability, and protection. Its pectoral fins are located towards the head of the fish right behind the [operculum](/source/Operculum_(fish)) and are exceedingly long with the pelvic fins located right beneath it. Its anal fin is located before the peduncle and its caudal fin most closely resembles a [truncate](/source/truncate) shaped tail. 

thumb|Different habitats at different life stages of the totoaba in the Gulf of California.<ref name="Cisneros-Mata"/>

==Life cycle==
The totoabas' weight and size makes it the largest species in the drum family,<ref name="NOAA" /> together with the similar-sized [Chinese bahaba](/source/Chinese_bahaba) (''Bahaba taipingensis'') and [meagre](/source/Argyrosomus_regius) (''Argyrosomus regius'').<ref>{{Fishbase| genus=Bahaba | species=taipingensis | month=May| year=2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Fishbase| genus=Argyrosomus | species=regius | month=May| year=2022 }}</ref> The totoabas' diet consists of [finned fish](/source/Actinopterygii) and [crustacean](/source/crustacean)s. A recent study done in 2023 has used [metabarcoding](/source/metabarcoding) for the first time to identify a more specific diet for wild totoaba. The study found 11 species of prey consumed by the totoaba: [Pacific anchovy](/source/Pacific_anchovy) (''Centengraulis mysticetus''), [flathead grey mullet](/source/flathead_grey_mullet) (''Mugil cephalus''), bigeye croaker (''Micropogonias megalops''), [northern anchovy](/source/northern_anchovy) (''Engraulis mordox''), [ocean whitefish](/source/ocean_whitefish) (''Caulolatilus princeps''), [milkfish](/source/milkfish) (''Chanos chanos''), and [Pacific sardine](/source/Pacific_sardine) (''Sardinpos sagax'').<ref name="Mro">{{cite journal |author=Mroue-Ruiz, F. H. |author2=Pacheco-Sandoval, A. |author3=Lago-Lestón, A. |author4=Giffard-Mena, I. |author5=Abadía-Cardoso, A. |author6=Chong-Robles, J. |author7=Schramm, Y. | journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology | title=Metabarcoding Used for the First Time to Identify Prey of Wild ''Totoaba macdonaldi'' | volume=63 | issue=2 | pages=276–287 | date=23 August 2023 | url=https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/63/2/276/7159726 | issn=1557-7023 | doi=10.1093/icb/icad030 | pmid=37164934 | access-date=15 October 2024| url-access=subscription }}</ref> Crustaceans known as [krill](/source/krill) from the [Euphausiidae](/source/Euphausiidae) family were also identified.<ref name="Mro"/> This more in depth understanding of diet allows for a better understanding of dietary needs for [aquaculture](/source/aquaculture) feed considerations, biodiversity, trophic relationships, and ecology. It is important to note that discovering the diet of the totoaba has proven difficult because their diet varies depending on the life stage it's in. However, in juveniles examined in 1972, they found [amphipods](/source/amphipods), [crustaceans](/source/crustaceans), and juvenile fishes (''Micropogon'' sp., ''Mugil cephalus'', and ''Leuresthes sardina'') so although limited by size the diet if the juveniles is comparable to the diet of the adults.<ref name="Flan">{{Cite web |author=Flanagan, C. |author2=Henderickson, J. | title=Observations on the commercial fishery and reproductive biology of the Totoaba, ''Cynoscion macdonaldi'', in the northern Gulf of California |website=Scientific Publications Office | url=https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/content/observations-commercial-fishery-and-reproductive-biology-totoaba-cynoscion-macdonaldi | access-date=18 October 2024}}</ref>

Totoaba are long-lived and may live up to 20–25 years, but sexual maturity is usually not reached until females are seven years old and males are six years old.<ref name="Rod"/> Female and male totoaba measured length during their first sexual maturity is between {{convert|1.3|and|1.2|m}}.<ref name="Rod"/> The totoaba's population growth is slow, with a minimum population [doubling time](/source/doubling_time) of 4.5 to 15 years.<ref name="FishBase" /> The totoaba spawn in the mouth of the [Colorado River Delta](/source/Colorado_River_Delta), serving as a nursery of shallow, brackish waters for the young fish.<ref name="IUCN" /><ref name="Flan"/> The totoaba population is found in two distinct groups. Larval and juvenile stages occupying the Colorado delta, while the adult breeding population lives for most of the year in deeper water towards the middle of the Gulf of California. The breeding timeframe starts in January and continues til May with a peak in March and April.<ref name="Rod"/><ref name="Flan"/> Totoaba are an [iteroparous](/source/iteroparous) species with asynchronous ovarian dynamics suggesting they are batch spawners.<ref name="Rod"/> One-year-old totoabas are metabolically most efficient in [brackish water](/source/brackish_water) of about 20 [parts per thousand](/source/parts_per_thousand) (or [‰](/source/Per_mille)) [salinity](/source/salinity) {{Nowrap|(about 20 g [NaCl](/source/Sodium_chloride)/L)}}, a level that occurred naturally in the [delta](/source/River_delta) before the diversion of water from the [Colorado River](/source/Colorado_River) that occurred in the middle of the 20th century.<ref name="annex" />

== Environmental threat==
The diversion of water from the [Colorado River](/source/Colorado_River) within the United States leaves little or no [fresh water](/source/fresh_water) to reach the [river delta](/source/river_delta), greatly altering the environment in the delta, and the [salinity](/source/salinity) of the upper [Gulf of California](/source/Gulf_of_California). The flow of fresh water to the mouth of the Colorado since the completion of the [Hoover](/source/Hoover_Dam) and [Glen Canyon](/source/Glen_Canyon_Dam) dams has been only about 4% of the average flow during the period from 1910 to 1920. This is considered to be a major cause of the depletion of the totoaba population.<ref name="annex">{{cite web|url=http://www.cites.org/common/com/AC/17/E17i-06.doc |title=Review of CITES Appendixes Based on Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev.) ''Totoaba macdonaldi'' (Mexican seabass) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191658/http://www.cites.org/common/com/AC/17/E17i-06.doc |archive-date=2007-09-27 |access-date=11 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="sdcc">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonorandesertconservation.org/totoaba.html |title=Sonoran Desert Coastal Conservation - Totoaba|access-date= 11 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="mba">{{cite web|url=http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=21 |title=Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch - Totoaba |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811060134/http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=21 |archive-date=2007-08-11 |access-date=11 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Earstones Tell Fishes' Tale in Colorado River Estuary |date=15 June 2004 |work=ScienceDaily |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040614081436.htm |access-date=10 June 2008}}</ref> Changes in salinity cause the response of physiological processes to change which can impact the survival of a population by affecting growth and reproduction. With the loss of the freshwater flow from the Colorado River, salinity in the delta is usually 35 [‰](/source/Per_mille) (about 35 g [NaCl](/source/Sodium_chloride)/L) or higher; it ranges from {{Nowrap|> 1 psu}} ([practical salinity unit](/source/practical_salinity_unit)) at the head of the Colorado River to 20 psu in the delta.<ref name="annex" /><ref name="Gif">{{cite journal |author=Giffard-Mena, I. |author2=Hernández-Montiel, Á. H. |author3=Pérez-Robles, J. |author4=David-True, C. | journal=Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology | title=Effects of salinity on survival and plasma osmolarity of ''Totoaba macdonaldi'' eggs, larvae, and juveniles | volume=526 | article-number=151339 | date=1 May 2020 | url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098119301157 | issn=0022-0981 | doi=10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151339 | bibcode=2020JEMBE.52651339G | access-date=18 October 2024| url-access=subscription }}</ref> While this alteration has been considered one of the reasons for totoaba population decline since historically the totoaba have been considered an [estuarine](/source/Estuary)-dependent species that use the Upper Gulf of California for [spawning](/source/spawning), new studies done in 2023 have indicated that the totoaba continue to use the modified breeding grounds.<ref name="Val">{{cite journal |author=Valdez-Muñoz, C. |author2=Aragón-Noriega, E. A. |author3=Ortega-Rubio, A. |author4=Salinas-Zavala, C. A. |author5=Arreola-Lizárraga, J. A. |author6=Hernández-Vázquez, S. |author7=Morales, L. F. B. | journal=Interciencia | title=Distribución y abundancia de juveniles de Totoaba, Totoaba macdonaldi y la salinidad del hábitat de crianza | volume=35 | issue=2 | pages=136–139 | date= February 2010 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/210132067/citation/DD9C459FEFC245D7PQ/1 | issn=0378-1844 | access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="Rod"/>  This suggest that either the totoaba are [resilient](/source/Resilience_(materials_science)) and adaptable to changes occurring in their natural habitat or migrating to [brackish water](/source/brackish_water)s served other purposes outside meeting breeding conditions.<ref name="Rod"/><ref name="Val"/> Regardless this does not mean reproduction success is not impacted but that reproductive activity by adults is not as negatively affected due to environmental changes caused from [dam](/source/dam)ming.<ref name="Rod"/> Each life stage of the totoaba [osmoregulate](/source/Osmoregulation) differently. Totoaba eggs are [osmoconformer](/source/osmoconformer)s. Their [larva](/source/larva)e are [stenohaline](/source/stenohaline) able to osmoregulate in salinity levels of 20 to 34 psu, this life stage is the less tolerant to extreme salinity.<ref name="Val"/> [Juveniles](/source/Juvenile_(organism)), on the other hand, can survive in salinity ranging from 5 to 40 psu.<ref name="Val"/> The change in salinity in the habitat of juveniles has not affected their distribution or abundance.<ref name="Val"/>

== Human threats ==
Another threat to the totoaba is from human [poaching](/source/poaching): the [swim bladder](/source/swim_bladder), commonly referred to as "maw" is a valuable commodity, as it is considered a [delicacy](/source/delicacy) in [Chinese cuisine](/source/Chinese_cuisine);<ref>{{Cite news |last=Urbina |first=Ian |date=23 July 2020 |title=Unmasking China's Invisible Fleet in North Korean Waters |publisher=CBC |url=https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/china-at-sea}}</ref> the meat is also sought after for making soups. It can fetch high prices &ndash; 200 bladders may be sold for $3.6 million at 2013 prices &ndash; as it is erroneously believed by many Chinese to be a treatment for [fertility](/source/fertility), [circulatory](/source/Circulatory_system), and [skin](/source/skin) problems.<ref name="Morell 2017">{{Cite journal|last=Morell|first=V.|date=2017-02-01|title=World's most endangered marine mammal down to 30 individuals|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/world-s-most-endangered-marine-mammal-down-30-individuals|journal=Science|doi=10.1126/science.aal0692|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Stickney, R. |date=25 April 2013|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Totoaba-Smuggling-San-Diego-Fish-Bladder-Factory-Uncovered-Calexico--204570681.html#ixzz2RYWZ9VDD |title=Multi-Million Dollar Fish Bladder Factory Uncovered in Calexico|website=[KNSD](/source/KNSD)}}</ref> The swim bladders are often smuggled to [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong), where they are illegal, but import screenings are lax, and from there they are sometimes forwarded to the Chinese mainland, where import screenings are stricter.<ref>{{cite news|author=Guilford, G. |date=25 August 2015 |url=https://qz.com/468358/how-chinas-fish-bladder-investment-craze-is-wiping-out-species-on-the-other-side-of-the-planet/ |title=How China's fish bladder investment craze is wiping out species on the other side of the planet|work=Quartz|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref> This trade once focused on the [Chinese bahaba](/source/Chinese_bahaba), but as its population became depleted, the trade shifted to the related totoaba.<ref name="Juarez 2016">{{cite periodical|author=Juarez, Lorenzo M.|author2= Pablo A. Konietzko |author3= Michael H. Schwarz |date=15 December 2016|url=https://www.was.org/articles/Totoaba-Aquaculture-and-Conservation-From-sea-of-cortez.aspx |title=Totoaba Aquaculture and Conservation: Hope for an Endangered Fish from Mexico's Sea of Cortez|periodical=World Aquaculture Magazine|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Hance, J. |date=11 January 2016|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2016/jan/11/china-aquatic-cocaine-vaquita-totoaba-mexico-endangered-extinct |title=China's craze for 'aquatic cocaine' is pushing two species into oblivion|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref> The illegal totoaba fishery also threatens the [vaquita](/source/vaquita), a critically endangered [porpoise](/source/porpoise) [endemic](/source/Endemism) to the northern Gulf of California that appears to be doomed to extinction unless the setting of [gillnets](/source/gillnets) in its habitat can be halted.<ref name="NPR 2016">{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/09/466185043/chinese-taste-for-fish-bladder-threatens-tiny-porpoise-in-mexico | title=Chinese Taste For Fish Bladder Threatens Rare Porpoise In Mexico | last=Joyce | first=C. | date=2016-02-09 | publisher=[NPR](/source/NPR) | access-date=2017-02-06}}</ref> The totoaba swim bladder is often used for identification more than a morphological description of the fish due to the illegal trade of it. Recent research in 2024 has created a way to identify totoaba swim bladders on-site of legal and illegal trades, that is efficient, convenient, inexpensive, and gives reliable results called [real-time fluorescence](/source/Relative_fluorescence_units)-based recombinase-aid amplification (RF-RAA).<ref name="Xu">{{cite journal |author=Xu, H. |author2=Zhu, S. |author3=Huang, Y. |author4=Deng, Y. |author5=Liu, H. |author6=Zheng, X. |editor=Tang, H. | journal=Journal of Marine Sciences | title=Species Identification of Totoaba (''Totoaba macdonaldi'') From Swim Bladders by Real-Time Fluorescence-Based Recombinase-Aided Amplification | volume=2024 | publisher=Hindawi Limited | date= 2024 | article-number=9259938 | issn=2633-4666 | doi=10.1155/2024/9259938 | doi-access=free | id={{ProQuest|3110956272}} }}</ref> Helping authorities be equipped to handle the increase in illegal imports and the [market regulations](/source/Regulatory_economics) surrounding totoaba swim bladders.

==Commercial trade==
[[File:Tanques de totoaba en la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California.jpg|thumb|Totoaba at the [Autonomous University of Baja California](/source/Autonomous_University_of_Baja_California) where much of the initial research in aquaculture of the species was done]]
[Commercial fishing](/source/Commercial_fishing) for totoaba began in the 1920s. The catch reached {{convert|2000|t|ST|abbr=on}} in 1943, but had fallen to only {{convert|50|t|ST|abbr=on}} in 1975, when Mexico protected the totoaba and banned the fishery. Anecdotal evidence suggests that totoabas were very abundant prior to the start of the commercial fishery, but no hard evidence now indicates natural population size. Recent studies indicate that the totoaba population has stabilized at a low level, perhaps a bit larger than when the commercial fishery was banned in 1975. Totoabas are still caught as bycatch in fishing for other finned fish and for shrimp, and in [illegal fishing](/source/illegal%2C_unreported_and_unregulated_fishing) for totoaba directly. Some totoabas are illegally exported to the United States, often misidentified as [white seabass](/source/white_seabass).<ref name="annex" /><ref name="sdcc" /><ref name="mba" />

The government of [Baja California](/source/Baja_California) has authorized commercial raising of totoaba in [fish farms](/source/Fish_farming).<ref>{{cite news|last=Penuelas Alarid|first=Bernardo|title=Comercializarán Totoaba criada en cautiverio|url=http://www.el-mexicano.com.mx/informacion/noticias/1/3/estatal/2010/10/31/434856/comercializaran-totoaba-criada-en-cautiverio.aspx |newspaper=El Mexicano |date=31 October 2010 |language=es |access-date=4 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Santos Malagón|first=Sac-Nicté|title=Buscan hacer de la totoaba un producto distintivo|url=http://www.oem.com.mx/lavozdelafrontera/notas/n1772621.htm|newspaper=La Voz de la Frontera|date=6 September 2010|language=es|access-date=4 September 2011|archive-date=11 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011134216/http://www.oem.com.mx/lavozdelafrontera/notas/n1772621.htm}}</ref> Although now done at a relatively large scale by private fish farms,<ref name="Kiy 2018" /> much of the initial research in the captive keeping, breeding and raising of totoaba was done at the [Autonomous University of Baja California](/source/Autonomous_University_of_Baja_California).<ref name="Dodd 2017" />

==Conservation status==
Formerly abundant and subject to an intensive [fishery](/source/fishery), the totoaba has become rare, and was listed by the [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora](/source/Convention_on_International_Trade_in_Endangered_Species_of_Wild_Fauna_and_Flora) under [Appendix I](/source/CITES_Appendix_I) in 1976.<ref name="FishBase"/> It is also listed by the [International Union for Conservation of Nature](/source/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature) as vulnerable,<ref name="IUCN"/> by [NatureServe](/source/NatureServe) as critically imperiled<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106054/Totoaba_macdonaldi|title=''Totoaba macdonaldi'' |publisher=the Nature Conservancy |access-date=3 February 2023|location=Arlington, Virginia|date=3 February 2023|website= NatureServe Explorer}}</ref> and under the U.S. [Endangered Species Act](/source/Endangered_Species_Act) as endangered in 1979.<ref name="NOAA" /> Making it illegal to catch totoaba since 1975 when it was placed on the Mexican Endangered Species List.<ref name="IUCN" /> 

On 16 April 2015, [Enrique Peña Nieto](/source/Enrique_Pe%C3%B1a_Nieto), the [President of Mexico](/source/President_of_Mexico), announced a program of rescue and conservation of the vaquita and the totoaba, including closures and financial support to fishermen in the area.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/in-english/2015/us-supports-mexicos-efforts-to-save-the-vaquita-104396.html|title=U.S. supports Mexico's efforts to save the vaquita|date=16 April 2015|work=El Universal|access-date=17 April 2015|archive-date=17 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417193040/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/in-english/2015/us-supports-mexicos-efforts-to-save-the-vaquita-104396.html}}</ref> This closure is necessary as they were still caught as a [bycatch](/source/bycatch) in the legal fishery for other species.<ref name="IUCN" /> Some commentators believe the measures fall short of what is needed to save the vaquita.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/zsmith/call_to_ban_mexican_seafood_products.html|last=Smith| first= Zak|date=16 March 2015|title=This Week in Whales Focus: The Call to Ban Mexican Seafood Products Gets Louder After Mexico Announces its Plan for Vaquita Extinction|publisher=National Resources Defense Council}}</ref>

The Chinese trade in totoaba swim bladders has been a primary reason for its decline.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheer |first1=Robert |title=The Drug Trade Isn't Just Killing People, but the Planet Itself |url=https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-drug-trade-isnt-just-killing-people-but-the-planet-itself/ |work=truthdig |date=25 October 2019 |access-date=3 November 2019}}</ref> Despite being illegal, this trade often happened quite openly and traders reported being warned before checks by Chinese authorities, allowing them to hide the swim bladders.<ref>Carrington, D. (16 May 2017). [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/16/chinese-appetite-totoaba-fish-bladder-threatens-rare-vaquita "Chinese appetite for totoaba fish bladder kills off rare porpoise"]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref> More recently, both Mexican and Chinese authorities have tightened checks and performed raids, resulting in large confiscations and several arrests.<ref>Cannon, J.C. (1 May 2018). [https://news.mongabay.com/2018/05/more-than-800-totoaba-swim-bladders-confiscated-by-mexican-authorities-in-smuggling-busts/ "More than 800 totoaba swim bladders confiscated by Mexican authorities in smuggling busts"]. ''Mongobay''. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref><ref>Dasgupta, S. (29 December 2018). [https://news.mongabay.com/2018/12/china-seizes-totoaba-swim-bladders-worth-26-million-arrests-16/ "China seizes totoaba swim bladders worth $26 million, arrests 16"]. ''Mongobay''. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref><ref>BBC News (7 March 2019). [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47485087 "China accuses 11 of smuggling totoaba swim fish bladder"]. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref>

The totoaba is suitable for [fish farming](/source/fish_farming) due to the relative ease of breeding it in captivity and its high growth rate.<ref name="Juarez 2016" /><ref name="Dodd 2017">Dodd, Q. (27 November 2017). [https://www.hatcheryinternational.com/recirc/saving-the-totoaba-for-fun-and-profit-1540 "Saving the totoaba for fun and profit"]. Hatchery International. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref> Although this mainly is done to supply the food market,<ref name="Dodd 2017" /> tens of thousands of totoaba hatched in captivity have been released into the wild in an attempt to save the species.<ref name="Kiy 2018">Kiy, R. (5 July 2018). [https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180705005644/en/Fourth-Release-Totoaba-Baja-California-Sur-Unique "Fourth Release of Totoaba in Baja California Sur: A Unique Alliance Between Government and the Private Sector to Protect a Species at Risk of Extinction"]. ''Business Wire''. Retrieved 18 May 2019.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mexfish.com/fish/totoa/totoa.htm Totoaba]. Mexfish.com. <!-- Retrieved 11 July 2007 -->
*[http://www.mexfish.com/mexi/mexi/af051209/af051209.htm History of the Totoaba]. Mexfish.com. <!-- Retrieved 11 July 2007 -->
*Gene Kira, [http://www.kumeyaay.info/cocopah.html?http%3A//www.kumeyaay.info/cocopah/tribal_human_rights.html "Sea of Cortez Fishing Gulf of California: The near-extinction of the species came with stunning rapidity"]. ''Western Outdoor News''.

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q14499654|from2=Q1756572}}

Category:Sciaenidae
Category:Fish genera with one living species
Category:Fish of the Gulf of California
Category:Endemic fish of Mexico
Category:Extant Burdigalian first appearances
Category:Species that are or were threatened by use as food
Category:ESA endangered species

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Totoaba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totoaba) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totoaba?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.