Illegal fish swim bladders seized at US border
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of San Luis discovered 91 swim bladders of the endangered totoaba fish which were concealed within a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets. A previous seizure at the Nogales trade facility was made in April 2023.
The swim bladders of this species are prized in traditional Chinese medicine and as an Asian cultural delicacy. Because the species is federally protected, in both the USA and Mexico, it is illegal to take, possess, transport, or sell totoaba.
Tucson field office director of field operations Guadalupe Ramirez: “This is the second largest seizure of totoaba swim bladders in Arizona this year and is an exceptional example of the job CBP officers and agriculture specialists do to enforce laws regarding all commodities entering the United States.” (mk)