Customs officers seize over $1 million dollars worth of endangered fish

TUCSON, Ariz. — Authorities conducted what is believed to be the second-largest seizure of an endangered fish out of San Luis Port of Entry in Arizona on Tuesday, officials say.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers and agriculture specialists seized 109 pounds of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and Endangered Species Act-protected totoaba swim bladders. They are estimated to be valued between $910,000 to $1,365,000.

A previous seizure for the same species was made earlier this year in April that was worth about $2.7 million, according to KTVK.

Around 91 swim bladders from totoba fish were found in a commercial shipment of frozen fish filets, officials say.

“Our officers and agriculture specialists enforce a wide variety of laws on behalf of numerous agencies”, said 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. This seizure also continues to highlight the integral working relationship we have with our US Fish and Wildlife partners, enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species treaty agreement.”

Totoba fish have been listed as an endangered species since 1979, the feds said, according to KTVK. They are used in Chinese medicine and as an Asian delicacy. It is illegal to take, possess, transport or sell totoba in the United States and Mexico because they are a protected species.

A single totoba swim bladder is worth around $5,000 on the black market in the United States and about $10,000 in some countries in Asia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, according to the news station.