Newsline >>

Chilean sea bass 

Patagonian toothfish is a good buy, but don’t bank on it getting any better, as demand in China should grow

Chilean sea bass is a fish that chefs love and a fishery that environmentalists hate. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, keeper of the most widely circulated list on what seafoods we should — and should not — be eating, Chilean sea bass is a fish to avoid because “heavy, unregulated fishing is wiping out this slow-growing, deep-ocean species. In 1998, the illegal catch was 10 times the legal catch.”

The National Audubon Society puts Chilean sea bass on its list of seafoods to avoid. The Society also confuses consumers with its erroneous observation that “Patagonian toothfish is marketed as Chilean sea bass to mask illegal catches and trade. Most of what appears in the market is actually toothfish, not Chilean sea bass.”

(Actually, there are two almost identical species, Patagonian toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides, and Antarctic toothfish, D. mawsoni. Both are marketed as Chilean sea bass and are the target of legal, regulated fisheries and illegal fishing.)

But despite the best efforts by environmental groups to keep it off menus, Chilean sea bass is probably more popular with chefs than ever. It’s just too profitable and interesting a fish to pass up, say chefs, who outdo themselves by showcasing Chilean sea bass on their menus.

When the Dalai Lama was feted in New York by celebrity chefs a few years ago, he was served baked Chilean Sea Bass with Red and Yellow Pepper Coulis. In Aspen, the rich and famous can dine on over-the-top sea bass dishes like Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with a Compote of Salsify, Zucchini and Green Beans in a Port Wine-Black Truffle Vinaigrette, the featured dish at George Mahaffey’s restaurant Conundrum.

You can even find Chilean sea bass on the menu in decidedly less exotic locales like Toledo, Ohio, where Fifi’s Restaurant serves Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Sautéed Vegetables and Roasted Pistachio with Drizzle of Chive Oil.

Concern over rampant illegal fishing of this slow-growing transpolar fish prompted the enactment in May 2000 of a Catch Documentation Scheme (CDS) by the United States and 23 other countries that had signed a treaty to protect the living resources of the Southern Ocean. Under the terms, shipments of Chilean sea bass must be accompanied by documents that certify when and where the fish was caught.

In addition to the CDS, countries such as France and Australia, both of which claim remote islands near Antarctica that are prime toothfish territory, have increased their patrols in an effort to catch the pirate boats. Many of these boats fly flags of convenience from countries like Panama and Belize, even though they may be owned by Norwegian, Spanish or Chilean operators. So far, the stepped-up patrols have met with some success.

This April, the Aussies chased a boat clear across the Southern Ocean almost to South Africa before catching it and escorting it back to Perth. France has also made it clear it is serious about poachers. To increase the cost of poaching, the French now simply seize the cargo and sink the boat.

Still, with a boatload of Chilean sea bass worth $1 million or more, toothfish poaching can probably never be completely stopped. One of the largest producers in Argentina points to a surge in U.S. toothfish imports this year as evidence that plenty of pirate fish are still being sold in spite of the CDS requirements.

“It’s not that hard to do,” he says. “The pirate boats know where they can land their fish and bribe port officials to certify their catch was caught legally. The inspectors in the importing countries stamp the documents because they can’t prove the fish was caught illegally.”

Then there are countries like China and Canada, both strong Chilean sea bass markets, that don’t require the CDS.

“There’s not a lot we can do,” says the Argentine supplier. “It’s very frustrating for those of us who are trying to play by the rules.”

Supply outlook  

Although catches of Chilean sea bass have declined from a high of almost 100,000 metric tons in the mid-1990s, there’s a lot of fish —  poached or legal — to be had. In fact, U.S. imports of Chilean sea bass in 2001 are expected to reach their highest level since the mid-1990s.

The annual quota set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which manages the Southern Ocean fishery, is about 11,000 metric tons for the fishing year 2000-01, down from about 14,000 metric tons from the 1999-00 season.

CCAMLR biologists estimate poachers are still catching about 6,000 metric tons of toothfish, down substantially from the poaching frenzy of the mid-1990s, when it’s estimated that more than 50,000 metric tons of toothfish were being landed illegally. Environmental groups, however, argue that the illegal catch of toothfish remains well over 20,000 metric tons.

Regulated national fisheries currently produce about 20,000 metric tons of toothfish a year, down from the mid-1990s, when more than 40,000 metric tons were being landed. Chile has the largest single toothfish fishery, with annual landings now relatively stable in the 10,000- to 12,000-metric-ton range.

Argentina’s catches have declined from a peak of almost 20,000 metric tons in 1995 to their current level of about 6,000 metric tons. Other countries with significant Chilean sea bass landings include South Africa, Australia, Uruguay, France, New Zealand and Peru.

Although most chefs in the United States assume the sea bass they buy is fresh, in most cases it is refreshed fillets cut from FAS H&G fish. According to National Marine Fisheries Service import data, about 90 percent of the sea bass imports are frozen product. Virtually all of the truly fresh product that is sold comes from Chile.

The United States will import about 12,000 metric tons of toothfish in 2001, a sizeable jump over last year’s imports of 9,500 metric tons. Through the first six months of 2001, U.S. imports of Chilean sea bass totaled 5,800 metric tons, up about 28 percent from the previous year. The three leading suppliers are Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. 

Although it doesn’t catch Chilean sea bass, China has emerged as a major player in the sea bass business, both as a market and supplier of frozen fillets and portions. In 2000 China exported more than 1,000 metric tons of frozen fillets to the United States, compared to less than 100 metric tons the previous year.

China’s sudden interest in the sea bass business can be attributed to a variety of factors that make sea bass an exceptionally lucrative trade for both Chinese and overseas companies. First, Chilean sea bass is a wildly popular fish in China, which is believed to be the largest single market for poached fish. Second, by exporting some of their sea bass imports as fillets, Chinese processing companies can cheat on their production yields and avoid high tariffs on some of the fish they sell domestically, allowing them to pocket some very pretty profits.

Chinese customs officials, though, are cracking down, which may be one reason imports of sea bass fillets from China declined 27 percent through the first half of this year.

Over the short term, supplies of Chilean sea bass should be more than adequate. Japan, China and the United States consume almost all the production, but tepid demand in Japan will help drive more fish to U.S. shores.

Longer term, look for Chilean sea bass supplies to tighten as the more remote stocks are fished down to the point where fishermen can no longer afford to fish them.

Price trends

Chilean sea bass has been a pretty good buy recently, compared to the very pricey levels of the late 1990s. Prices of FAS longlined fish have declined about $2 a pound across the board from their highs of 1999.

This September importers sold small fish for less than $4 a pound. The ex-importer price for fresh H&G Chilean sea bass has declined from a high of more than $7.50 a pound to between $5 to $6 a pound this year.

The price for frozen fillets has remained relatively stable, however. The average value of fillets from China has been steady at between $5.80 and $6 a pound for the past 18 months. But the price of frozen fillets remains all over the board, depending upon the quality of the fish and the amount of water that has been added. This fall, frozen fillets and portions could be purchased by distributors at anywhere from $4 to $7 a pound.

Refreshed fillets have been selling to restaurants at anywhere from $7 to $9 a pound most of this year, depending upon the spec and order volume. Fresh fillets from Chile, meanwhile, have been averaging $10 to $12 a pound.

While Chilean sea bass is a good buy now, don’t bank on its getting any better. Demand in China is expected to grow quickly after that country joins the World Trade Organization and lowers its tariffs on seafood. As a result, look for upward pressure on prices in 2002. 

Buying tips

If you think you’re buying fresh Chilean sea bass, think again. There’s a 90 percent chance that the fish was frozen first. Most of the Chilean sea bass that is caught these days is landed in some of the most remote waters of the planet and frozen aboard the boats. The quality of most of this fish is excellent, as is the quality of most of the refreshed fillets that are sold to buyers who think they are getting fresh.

“We’ll tell chefs they’re buying refreshed fillets if they ask,” says a salesman for a large West Coast distributor, “but 90 percent of the chefs never ask. They just assume it’s fresh.”

In the winter, when fresh sea bass from Chile is most available, fresh fillets sell for about $3 a pound more than refreshed fillets. But that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily better. The CDS scheme means that Chilean sea bass can no longer sail through customs, and fresh product may end up sitting at an airport for a day or two before it’s cleared.

If you’re paying a premium for fresh, you may want to save some money and switch to refreshed. It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference, so there’s no way you can know for sure that your distributor is really selling you fresh fish anyway. 

A small percentage of H&G Chilean sea bass, will be “jellyfish,” i.e., fish that have a parasite that turns their fillets to, well, jelly.

 Most producers require buyers to accept a 3 percent jellyfish allow-ance. Above 3 percent, reliable producers will pay 100 percent of the claim. Rarely, however, will more than 3 percent of a sale be jellyfish.

Getting your money’s worth when buying frozen fillets and portions can be a challenge. Most Chilean sea bass processors now soak their fillets in a tripolyphosphate solution, which can result in a pickup of as much as 15 or even 20 percent.

If you use a large volume of frozen fillets, you may want to buy H&G fish yourself and have it custom processed to your own spec. Otherwise, perform drip tests and make sure you know when, where and who processed that fish. If you don’t, both you and your fish are probably getting soaked.

Culinary notes

Sure, chefs like Chilean sea bass because it is a flavorful fish that can be used in almost any recipe, but there’s another reason they like it: It’s a fabulously profitable fish. People who go to white-tablecloth restaurants are used to forking over $20 or more for 6 ounces of this exceptionally tasty, white-fleshed fish. And the more you dress up Chilean sea bass, the more money you can make, especially now that sea bass prices have come down about 25 percent.

The Northern Lakes Seafood Co., a fine-dining restaurant outside Detroit, gets $26.95 for Crusted Chilean Sea Bass with Sautéed Artichokes, Onions and Port Wine Sauce. The Buttery, a restaurant in historic Lewes, Del., features Chilean Sea Bass with Macadamia Cilantro Crust and Red Thai Coconut Curry Sauce for $24.95.

Chilean sea bass even goes over well with the Texas steak crowd. In Dallas, Al Biernat’s, an upscale steakhouse, features Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass over Lobster Risotto with Basil Infused Olive Oil for $27.95.

When it comes to high-priced white fish, Chilean sea bass, it seems, is in a culinary class all by itself.   

Back to top