Totoaba is a sciaenid fish endemic to the Sea of Cortez. It is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). After the collapse of its commercial fishery in 1974 all fishing and trading of totoaba have been banned in Mexico.
In 2013 private company Santomar (previously known as Earth Ocean Farms, or EOF) started operating an offshore totoaba farm under an Environmental Management Unit (UMA) permit from the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). As required by this permit, Santomar complies with strict requirements for traceability and restocking. This model supports local communities and offers a productive alternative to illegal fishing. Through the UMA process it is possible to differentiate legal from illegal products, and to combat the illicit trafficking of totoaba while allowing restoration efforts and commercial farming. A special one-time permit was obtained by EOF in 2014 to capture 60 totoaba individuals to serve as founders of a captive population and to start a breeding program geared towards preserving genetic diversity to be used for restoration efforts, and a separate program to select for fast growth for commercial fish production. The project has grown over the past 12 years to production of over 500 tons of totoaba in 2024, in a 340-ha ocean concession, a research and a commercial hatchery, and a processing facility near La Paz, in Baja California Sur.
As part of its restoration efforts Santomar releases genetically diverse totoaba fingerlings to the Sea of Cortez. Releases have full genetic traceability via 21 genetic markers identified for the broodstock. The genetic program and molecular markers are outsourced to the US-based Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT). To date approximately 250,000 fingerlings averaging 9g have been released in 8 separate liberation events attended by the authorities and aided by coastal communities. These events are used as opportunities to educate the public about conservation of the seas, on-site and via social media. There is no data on the impact of restoration efforts but anecdotally, fishermen report incidental catches of totoaba in areas of the Gulf where it had not been present for many years. In 2022 EOF obtained an aquaculture registration of its UMA from CITES which allows the trade of totoaba meat internationally, with full traceability to the production unit. In 2024 the Mexican Congress approved an initiative to modify the Law on General Import and Export Taxes to allow farmed totoaba to be exported, while continuing to ban all trade of wild caught totoaba. The opening of the export market promotes a legal alternative to the illegal totoaba market and creates a sustainable economic model that does not depend on the destructive exploitation of the environment. Santomar has shown that it is possible to balance aquaculture production with the conservation of marine ecosystems, ensuring both food security and sustainable development of coastal regions.