U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of San Luis seized $1 million worth of totoaba swim bladders recently.

The totoaba fish is listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The swim bladders are prized in traditional Chinese medicine and as an Asian cultural delicacy. It is illegal to take, possess, transport, or sell totoaba in both the U.S. and Mexico. The use of gillnet fishing in the Gulf of California has led to the loss of not only totoaba but also the endangered vaquita porpoise. The 91 swim bladders were concealed in a commercial shipment of frozen fish filets. CBP contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take possession of the bladders. According to CBP, this is one of the larger commercial seizures of its kind in the U.S., and the second largest in Arizona. The swim bladders have an estimated value of $900,000 to over $1.3 million.