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NOGALES, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A smuggling attempt ended with a fishy discovery at the Port of Nogales several months ago. On April 13, border patrol officers were working at the Mariposa trade facility when they found 270 swim bladders of the endangered Totoaba fish hidden inside a shipment of frozen fish fillets. Investigators say this is the second-largest seizure of its kind in the nation and the largest Totoaba seizure in Arizona. The estimated value of the swim bladders is $2.7 million.
Totoaba fish have been on the endangered species list since 1979. In Asia, the fish is seen as a cultural delicacy. However, because the species is federally protected in the U.S. and Mexico, taking, possessing, transporting, or selling Totoaba is illegal. Officials say the gill-net fishing methods used to catch the fish have endangered another species, the vaquita.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials took the bladders, and they’re investigating the smuggling attempt. “This find by our CBP Officers, potentially the second largest seizure of Totoaba swim bladders nationwide, is an exceptional example of the job they [border patrol] do enforcing laws regarding all commodities entering the United States. It’s also an excellent example of our working relationship with our U.S. Fish and Wildlife partners, enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species treaty agreement,” said Guadalupe Ramirez, Tucson Field Office Director of Field Operations.
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Border patrol seizes 200+ swim bladders of endangered fish in Nogales - Arizona's Family
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