La Paz, Mexico, headquartered mariculture company Earth Ocean Farms (EOF) has carried out its eighth release of Totoaba Macdonaldi, with 35,000 juveniles released in the Sea of Cortez.
Since 2015, this marine species has been sustainably farmed and raised by EOF, which is based in La Paz, Mexico.
In the wild, totoaba can reach lengths of up to two metres and weigh more than 100 kilogrammes. Its population has dramatically decreased due to overfishing and the degradation of its habitat.
It is also considered to be among the most expensive fish in the world as its bladder is sold on black markets for around US$8,000.
“We are very excited to be able to carry out our eighth release of totoabas in the Sea of Cortez. The totoaba is an endemic species of the Gulf of California that is in danger of extinction, therefore, we must take measures to repopulate that Sea and encourage them to be as abundant as they once were,” EOF Commercial Director Israel Marqueda said.
EOF, which is a vertically-integrated company specialising in offshore marine aquaculture, released the juveniles at Santispac Beach, in Bahía de Concepción, in Baja California Sur. The activity was performed in collaboration with the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through its Wildlife department (DGVS), other government agencies and NGOs, with the involvement of local communities.
“It is essential that we continue to promote these activities in which all the desired parties are involved, especially children and young people, who are the key actors to achieve greater awareness in the long-term,” Marqueda said.
In the past nine years, EOF has released 210,000 juvenile totoaba.
