Pass on Chilean Sea Bass

Photo: Douglas Freer / istock

By Brian Clark Howard

Don't order Chilean sea bass, which scientists have warned is critically overfished and possibly on the road to extinction.

The prehistoric-looking, deep-sea fish is also known as Patagonian toothfish, Antarctic toothfish and, less commonly, black hake and icefish. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chilean sea bass is caught with bottom longlines, which damage the seafloor and lead to high rates of bycatch, meaning the death of seabirds, turtles and other nontarget species. The aquarium also points out that more than half of Chilean sea bass sold was caught illegally.

Chilean sea bass is a slow-growing fish that takes years to reach reproductive age, so it has been particularly vulnerable to overfishing. They can live to be six feet long and more than 50 years old, but fishermen are reporting smaller and smaller weights and lower catches.

Chilean sea bass's popular white flesh is also relatively high in mercury (from contaminated water), so it's a good idea to cut back for health reasons. Hundreds of chefs have already stopped serving it, opting for more sustainably harvested fish.

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