Background on Totoaba and Its Endangered Status
The totoaba, a native fish species of the Gulf of California, is critically endangered due to illegal and overfishing driven by high demand for its swim bladder in Asian markets. The swim bladder is believed to possess medicinal properties, with a kilogram fetching up to $8,000 in the illegal market.
Reforming LIGIE for Controlled Export of Totoaba Meat
Gloria Estrada Antón, president of the Commerce Exterior Committee at the Mexican Public Accountants College, explained that a reform to the Ley de los Impuestos Generales de Importación y Exportación (LIGIE) would allow controlled export of totoaba meat. This reform introduces two new tariff fractions to permit the export of totoaba meat, provided it originates from intensively farmed specimens in an aquaculture facility, meaning they are bred in captivity.
Conditions for Export
- Export permits must be obtained from the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat).
- Exporting live totoaba, those caught in their natural habitat, or their sexual organs remains prohibited.
Potential Benefits and Responsibilities
Estrada Antón highlighted that this reform could save fiscal resources for the federal government in combating illegal fishing while promoting a legitimate trade. The totoaba fishery in the Gulf of California supports over 50,000 jobs.
Shared Responsibility
Despite the reform’s progress, Estrada Antón emphasized that protecting totoaba and combating the illegal market is a shared responsibility among all countries, as it’s listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES, with 184 member countries, requires all members to safeguard and conserve listed species, ensuring no illegal trade at their borders.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the totoaba? The totoaba is an endangered fish species native to Mexico’s Gulf of California.
- Why is the totoaba endangered? Overfishing and illegal fishing driven by high demand for its swim bladder in Asian markets have pushed the totoaba to the brink of extinction.
- What is the LIGIE reform? The reform to Mexico’s import and export tax law allows controlled export of totoaba meat from farmed specimens.
- What conditions must be met for export? Export permits from Semarnat are required, and live totoaba, habitat-caught specimens, or their sexual organs cannot be exported.
- Who is responsible for protecting the totoaba? All 184 CITES member countries share responsibility for protecting and conserving the endangered totoaba species.
