A recent survey by the
Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) of marine product sellers in
southern China and Hong Kong revealed a continuing illegal trade in a
banned fish species which, if left unchecked, will lead to the
extinction
of the vaquita – the world’s most endangered marine mammal.
The vaquita is a small porpoise
found only in the waters of the northern Gulf of California, off the
coast of Mexico. In 1997, its population was estimated at 567 but by
2014 it had plummeted to just 97 animals due to fishery bycatch.
Recent evidence
based on acoustic surveys suggests a 42 per cent decline in the vaquita
population in 2013-14. This alarming drop is
due to the resurgence of illegal gillnet fishing targeting totoaba
fish, the swim bladders of which are highly sought in Hong Kong and
southern mainland China.
International trade in totoaba fish
has been banned under a global convention since 1977, yet black market
trade persists. Its dried swim bladder, known as fish maw, is used in
foods such as soups for its supposed health benefits. There
are around 34 different types of fish maw but totoaba is one of the
most highly prized and expensive and is referred to as “golden coin” maw
in the trade.
In May 2015, EIA conducted a survey
of 23 fish maw retailers in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, as well as
online research to ascertain the availability of illegal totoaba
products on the market. The results show that illegal trade continues
to supply a relatively small group of entrenched consumers, indicating a
failure by enforcement agencies to curb the smuggling and sale.
In Guangzhou, EIA found “golden
coin” maw openly on sale in seven of the 12 shops surveyed. Generally,
traders were aware that totoaba sales are illegal, knew the fish are
only found in Mexico and claimed that smuggling the contraband
between Hong Kong and mainland China is easy with customs agencies not
routinely inspecting fish maw consignments.
Hong Kong traders were more
guarded, with only two shops displaying totoaba maw, but prices were
found to be higher than on the mainland. Despite this, the main buyers
were found to be mainland Chinese due to the perceived higher quality
of supplies from Hong Kong and the higher possibility of fakes in
Guangzhou.
Online research conducted by EIA
identified numerous platforms for trade in fish maw, with significant
interest in totoaba maw among consumers. Some of these platforms were
actively offering fish maw, including totoaba, for sale. A sense
of the global nature of the trade was provided by analysis of Facebook
pages connecting fish maw traders and buyers from South America, Mexico,
the US and Asia.
EIA’s survey also uncovered a fall
in the market price for totoaba maw since 2012 due to a spike in illegal
trade causing oversupply in the market. While totoaba prices remain
high compared with other fish maws, the decline of as much
as 75 per cent from the record prices of a few years ago has led to
stockpiling by traders hoping to push the price back up. One trader also
spoke of a core group of “loyal” totoaba consumers who use the maw on a
daily basis and were using the price drop to
stock up.
The plight of the vaquita has
recently gained international attention. Mexico has implemented an
emergency two-year gillnet fishing ban throughout the vaquita range. US
agencies in southern California, which is a hub for totoaba maws
smuggled from neighbouring Mexico en route to China, have made a series
of seizures and prosecutions.
However, as EIA’s survey shows, the enforcement response in the main markets of Hong Kong and China remains inadequate.
Clare Perry, Team Leader of EIA’s
Oceans Campaign, said: “The future survival of the vaquita rests in the
hands of a relatively small number of Chinese consumers of totoaba maw.
While this lucrative market continues, vaquita will inevitably
die in illegal fishing nets and dwindle to extinction.
“Customs and other enforcement agencies in China need to step up their efforts to halt the illegal totoaba trade.”
EIA is calling for online retail
platforms in China to stop selling totoaba maw, for increased
surveillance of marine products markets in Hong Kong and Guangzhou and
for customs agencies to prioritise interception of contraband fish
maw.
The only case of an aquatic marine
species becoming extinct since the 1950s is the baiji or Chinese river
dolphin; found only in China’s Yangtze River, the species was declared
functionally extinct in 2006.
China now has a vital role to play in ensuring that the vaquita does not go the same way.
