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🐟 A big fish 🫁 A dried organ
totoaba

totoaba

9.9
A large endangered fish from the Gulf of California that people value for its swim bladder
  • noun
  • /təˈtɔːbə/
  • US
: totoaba
  • The totoaba is an endangered species that can grow up to four feet long in the Gulf of California.

Examples

  • Fishermen often targeted the totoaba for its valuable swim bladder, which is highly sought after.

  • In the 1960s, the once-common totoaba vanished, overfished and killed off as bycatch in shrimpers' dredge and trawl nets.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Totoaba typically grew three to four feet long, a single fish providing up to 300 pounds of meat.

    Academic text (2007)

  • A prime example is the totoaba, a fish endemic to the northern part of the sea, which was once a common source of subsistence for people living along the coast.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Conservationists are working hard to protect the totoaba, as its population has dramatically decreased.

Surface Forms

totoaba singular
totoabas plural

Etymology

Totoaba comes from Spanish, taken from a native Mexican name for a large fish from the Gulf of California. That's why totoaba refers to that particular endangered fish, which is famous for its valuable swim bladder.