Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago, Chile.
Centro de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
Conserv Biol. 2024 Oct;38(5):e14356. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14356.
The illegal trade in totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) is causing adverse social, ecological, and economic impacts. This illegal activity is accelerating the overexploitation of totoaba and pushing the critically endangered vaquita (Phocoena sinus) closer to extinction. Despite extensive efforts to recover vaquita populations, scant attention has been given to the totoaba trade as an independent issue. As a result, data on the totoaba trade are limited, which hampers robust analyses and development of effective interventions to reduce illegal harvesting. We used a previously developed framework specifically designed to examine dynamics of illegal markets and guide measures to mitigate illegal use of totoaba. This framework separates markets into 3 analytical levels: characterization of participating actors (e.g., fishers, intermediaries); examination of how actors interact within the market (e.g., organization of supply chains); and assessment of the overall market dynamics that result from these interactions (e.g., factors determining price and quantity). We reviewed existing literature (108 initial articles) and interviewed key market actors, academics, and nongovernmental organization experts (14) to obtain data for this framework. Our findings offer an overview of the totoaba illegal market operation, highlighting intervention points (e.g., customs agents) and areas where additional information is required to decrease information gaps (e.g., US local market). We describe the structure and complexity of this market, emphasizing the influential role of organized crime in shaping its dynamics (e.g., controlling prices paid to fishers and stockpiling). By providing a systematic and in-depth understanding of the market operation, we aimed to establish a benchmark for effective interventions and future research aimed at reducing uncertainties. Our results provide a crucial step toward addressing this critical issue and can help facilitate development of effective strategies to combat the illegal totoaba trade and promote biodiversity conservation more broadly.
非法买卖美洲豚鱼（Totoaba macdonaldi）正造成严重的社会、生态和经济影响。这项非法活动加速了美洲豚鱼的过度捕捞，使极度濒危的小头鼠海豚（Phocoena sinus）更接近灭绝。尽管为了恢复小头鼠海豚的数量已付出了巨大努力，但人们几乎没有关注到买卖美洲豚鱼这一独立问题。因此，关于美洲豚鱼贸易的数据有限，这阻碍了对其进行强有力分析并制定有效干预措施以减少非法捕捞的工作。我们使用了一个先前开发的框架，该框架专门用于研究非法市场的动态，并指导采取措施减轻对美洲豚鱼的非法使用。该框架将市场分为 3 个分析层面：参与方的特征（如渔民、中间商）；研究市场参与者之间的互动方式（如供应链的组织）；以及评估这些互动产生的整体市场动态（如决定价格和数量的因素）。我们审查了现有文献（108 篇初始文章）并采访了关键市场参与者、学者和非政府组织专家（14 名），以获取该框架的数据。我们的研究结果提供了对美洲豚鱼非法市场运作的概述，强调了干预点（如海关代理）以及需要更多信息的领域，以减少信息差距（如美国当地市场）。我们描述了这个市场的结构和复杂性，强调了有组织犯罪在塑造其动态方面的重要作用（如控制渔民的售价和囤货）。通过对市场运作进行系统和深入的了解，我们旨在为有效干预措施和未来旨在减少不确定性的研究奠定基础。我们的研究结果为解决这一关键问题提供了关键步骤，并有助于制定更有效的打击非法买卖美洲豚鱼和更广泛地促进生物多样性保护的战略。
