You may or may not be aware that the sudden rise in popularity of the Patagonian toothfish (aka “Chilean Sea Bass”) in the 1990s, combined with their slow rate of maturity, led to the near extinction of that fish. Conservationists called for a complete ban on their consumption until such a time as the species’ viability can be assured.
Today, I was in Whole Foods; they stopped carrying Patagoinian toothfish over 7 years ago in response to the overfishing situation. But today — today, they had it in stock, accompanied by a big “Welcome Back Chilean Sea Bass!” banner. They also had pamphlets explaining that they have found an MSC-certified fishery to source the fish from around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
According to the MSC, this fishery was certified in 2004. So why is it suddenly okay for Whole Foods now and not last year?
Look at their assessments – for example http://www.msc.org/html/content_1228.htm. These dudes are paid by the fishing associations to make things look ok. I suspect that certifications mostly consists of writing a cheque – I note that they have certified Alaska Salmon – though much the Salmon caught in this program goes to rivers in BC and washington and is seriously threatened. The whole things smells fishy to me.
So my advice – if you like patagonia tooth-fish, get it now before it is all gone.