The
Patagonian toothfish,
Dissostichus eleginoides (also known as Chilean sea bass), is a fish found in the cold, temperate waters (between depths of 45 m (148 ft) to 3850 m (12,631 ft)) of the southern
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, southern
PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
,
IndianThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, and
Southern OceanThe Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
s on
seamountA seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...
s and
continental shelvesThe continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
around most sub-
AntarcticThe Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
islands.
A close relative, the Antarctic toothfish (
Dissostichus mawsoni), is found farther south around the edges of the
AntarcticThe Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
shelf; it also lives in the
Ross SeaThe Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
.
The average weight of a commercially caught Patagonian toothfish is 9–10 kg (19.8–22 lb), with large adults occasionally exceeding 200 kilograms (440.9 lb). They are thought to live up to fifty years and to reach a length up to 2.3 m (7.5 ft). A commercial fishery exists for Patagonian toothfish; the meat is sold under the
trade nameA trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
s
Chilean sea bass in the USA;
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and
UruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
where it is relatively cheap; and
mero in
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it is sold at high prices. The name Chilean Sea Bass supposedly originated as part of a marketing gimmick to make the fish more marketable (as opposed to selling Patagonian toothfish).
Patagonian toothfish feed largely on squid, fish, and prawns and, in turn, constitute a large part of the diets of
sperm whaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s,
southern elephant sealThe Southern Elephant Seal is one of the two extant species of elephant seal. It is both the most massive pinniped and member of the order Carnivora living today...
s, and
colossal squidThe colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
.
Legal fishing
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
severely regulates Patagonian toothfish in the waters surrounding the French islands in the South Indian Ocean (Crozet Island,
Kerguelen IslandsThe Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of...
), with scientific oversight from the
National museum of natural historyThe Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
Fishing authorizations are granted to a limited number of fisheries from Reunion Island; before 1998, there had been agreements with other countries authorizing their ships to fish in these waters.
In Australia, two companies are licensed by the
Australian Fisheries Management AuthorityThe Australian Fisheries Management Authority is the Australian Government statutory agency responsible for the management and sustainable use of fisheries resources and for combating illegal fishing activities in Australian waters .-History:The Australian Fisheries Management Authority was...
(AFMA) to fish for Patagonian toothfish; these are Austral Fisheries and Australian Longline. The companies have legal access to the Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) fishery, as well as the
Macquarie IslandMacquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
fishery and have quotas set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
About 2450 tonnes of the annual 2550 tonnes caught in Australian Antarctic waters is sold overseas, mainly to Japanese and US markets.
The
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living ResourcesThe Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, also Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and CCAMLR, is part of the Antarctic Treaty System...
(CCAMLR) supervises some of the legal Patagonian toothfish harvesting.
The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators, Inc. (COLTO) claims to represent the legal toothfishing industry.
Illegal fishing
In the late 1990s to early 2000s, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated IUU fishing for toothfish nearly collapsed many nation's fisheries in the Southern Ocean. Though, since 2005, thanks to CCAMLR Member nations, government patrol vessels, eNGOs, media exposure and a plethora of port state measures, IUU fishing has been all but eliminated from within countries' EEZs, though a relatively small portion of catch in the high seas is the only unregulated catch being exploited currently.
In the last few years, the management of several fisheries has improved with increased patrolling for illegal vessels and stringent regulations for legal operators. Although unregulated fishing is still a problem in some high seas areas, the
Marine Stewardship CouncilThe Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organization with an ecolabel and fishery certification programme. Fisheries that are assessed and meet the standard can use the MSC blue ecolabel. The MSC mission is to 'reward sustainable fishing practices’...
has certified the fishery in
South GeorgiaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands, known as the South Sandwich...
for sustainable management. South Georgia has the largest toothfish fishery, with a total allowable catch (TAC) of around 3000 tonnes per year, taken by approximately ten vessels. Currently, there are a number of other toothfish fisheries that are undergoing review for MSC certification.
The Patagonian toothfish lives in deep waters, from 300–3500 m (984.3–11,482.9 ft) on
seamountA seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...
s and
continental shelvesThe continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
around most sub-Antarctic islands, such as the
exclusive economic zoneUnder the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
of the
French Southern TerritoriesThe French Southern and Antarctic Lands , full name Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands , consist of:...
(
Kerguelen IslandsThe Kerguelen Islands , also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged Kerguelen Plateau. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands and the Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands are part of...
) and around
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's
Prince Edward IslandsThe Prince Edward Islands are two small islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean that are part of South Africa. The islands, named Marion Island and Prince Edward Island, are located at ....
, and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's
Heard Island and McDonald IslandsThe Heard Island and McDonald Islands are an Australian external territory and volcanic group of barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size is in area and it has of coastline...
. In the past, France sold some fishing rights to Japanese and other foreign fisheries; because of overfishing, now fishing is reserved for fisheries from Réunion Island. Because of poaching, the
French NavyThe French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
patrols the zone and has made numerous arrests and seizures. Australian Customs vessels have pursued illegal toothfishing ships; the chase in the
Viarsa incidentViarsa 1 was a Uruguay-flagged fishing vessel famous for its involvement in a high seas chase.-Chase:On 7 August 2003, Australian Customs and Fisheries patrol vessel Southern Supporter spotted Viarsa 1 in Australian territorial waters near Heard Island. Suspecting the vessel of illegal fishing for...
went on for 7200 kilometers.
Illegal fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean is hazardous not only for the fish, but also for other wildlife in and around the waters. According to
The Antarctica Project, "It is common practice in the illegal fishery to dynamite the [sperm and killer] whales when they are discovered in the area where the fishing takes place" and "…hundreds of thousands of endangered albatrosses and petrels dive for the [fish] bait and become hooked and drowned." The longline fishery has also been criticized for drowning thousands of
seabirdSeabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s, such as
albatrossAlbatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es.
Threats
The Chilean sea bass is listed by the
Monterey Bay AquariumThe Monterey Bay Aquarium is located on the former site of a sardine cannery on Cannery Row of the Pacific Ocean shoreline in Monterey, California. It has an annual attendance of 1.8 million visitors. It holds thousands of plants and animals, representing 623 separate named species on display...
on its
Seafood WatchSeafood Watch is one of the best known sustainable seafood advisory lists, and has influenced similar programs around the world. It is a program designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources...
list and pocket guides as a fish to avoid due to overfishing and high levels of mercury.
In 2010,
Greenpeace InternationalGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
added the Patagonian toothfish to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."
External links