What Happened to the Patagonian Toothfish:

In the late 1990's, the Patagonian toothfish was designated a threatened species.  A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.  Before 1990, few people had heard of the Patagonian toothfish,, but around this year it became popular in restaurants.  To make it appealing, it was renamed the Chilean sea bass, even though most are not caught near Chile, and it's not even a bass.  It reached the height of it's popularity in 2001 when Bon Appetit magazine name it "Dish of the Year."

I love Chilean sea bass.  It is a soft, flaky white fish, that takes on the flavor of whatever spices and sauces you add to it.  I used to make it at home, marinating it in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger and garlic, then baking it until flaky.  It was moderately priced and low in calories and so delicious.  Then around 2000, it became scarcer and scarcer on menus.  That's because it was getting harder for fishermen to find any.  Limits were set, but "pirate" ships rushed in to fill the market demand.  According to the U.S. Department of State, this species, while not endangered, was seriously threatened as a result of illegal overfishing.  By 2003, some environmental groups were claiming that if this overfishing wasn't stopped, the Patagonian toothfish would become commercially extinct in about five years.

Suddenly, Chilean sea bass was off the menu at restaurants, and unavailable in markets.  If you found it in a market, it was extremely expensive.  The reason why the fish was at risk of becomming endangered was that the fish is very slow to mature, and they tend to group together while spawning, making them easy prey for fishing trawlers.  In the early 2000's, consumers were asked to consider alternate choices because it is difficult to determine whether or not an individual fish has been legally harvested.  By reducing overall demand, activists hope to reduce the appeal of poaching, which would reduce pressure on these fish and allow them to recover.  That is what has happened.  10-15 years of light fishing has allowed them to replenish themselves.

U.S. consumers who want to make more informed choices about their fish might want to look up the website of the Marine Stewardship Council.  This group certifies fish that are harvested in a sustainable and healthy way.  Seafood Watch is another organization worth looking into.  Consumers acted responsibly and reduced their consumption of Chilean sea bass, giving the species time to increase its numbers.  It's back on the menu, and in the market again because of consumers interest in protecting the species.