seabass

Six months ago this article would've been on how to cook it. Now it's on how to save it. I am not a wacko. At least not an environmental wacko. At least not yet.

My wife loves Chilean Seabass, so I was surprised when, a couple of months ago, she told me no, it was not a good idea that I'd brought some home for her. This species has been fished to an almost unsustainably low level. Okay, thought I, I'll bring home something else to eat next time.

Inasmuch as I only shop at stores that are environmentally aware (to the best of my knowledge) I was surprised to recently find Chilean Seabass in both of the stores I most often frequent -- Trader Joes and Major Market (the latter you wouldn't have heard of unless you live in Inland North San Diego County).

The store manager at Trader Joes told me why they're selling this fish (which is actually the "Patagonia Toothfish" and not a Seabass at all). His answer was, "Because people want to buy it."

"That being the criterion," I replied, "On which aisle will I find cartons of California Condor Eggs, or paraphernalia to roll bongs?"

Clearly I needed to move up the food chain.

I called Trader Joes corporate office, and the customer service person quickly rustled through papers and started reading, beginning with words that were not intended for me, something to the effect of, "You will get calls asking why we're selling Chilean Seabass..."

It appeared from what I could glean that the PR blurb was sent to Trader Joes by its fish wholesaler in order to placate inquisitive folks with nothing better to do than hassle retailers trying to squeeze out a profit.

Clearly I needed to move even farther up the food chain.

I called the wholesaler and at least I got somebody who, if not intellectually honest, was at least honest. You've been getting this stuff off one of those internet sites, haven't you? That's my best recollection of what he said.

"Actually," I countered, "I spoke to an expert in the Chilean Seabass at the National Marine Fisheries Service. This is an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce and, as you may know, it is that department's job to get people like me to buy more fish, not less."

"Look, this is just a political issue," he said - me by this time taking notes, as I'd obviously come across a quotable fellow. "They have no idea how much fish is really out there. None of it is irreplaceable. Besides, it's a personal choice. It's not against the law."

There was a refreshing clarity in that statement, unlike the prepared blurb given to Trader Joes which basically said that it's okay to buy it from "us" because we only buy it from fishermen who have all the legal documentation to show that they've legally and responsibly caught the Seabass. What the PR person at Trader Joes didn't say was that if the Chilean Seabass is not purchased by just those fishermen it's a criminal offense.

Buying it legally doesn't (as it turns out) stop millions of tons of contraband Chilean Seabass coming in anyway. The estimates I've read state that anywhere from 50% to 80% of all of this imperiled fish is illegally caught. It makes its way into this country with the proper paperwork anyway.

Monica Hamm is an occasional triathlete. She is also the field agent for the National Marine Fisheries Service. She is stationed in Long Beach, California, but she spoke to me from her cell phone from La Jolla, where she was investigating the shooting of a pair of migrating dolphins. On the subject of fraudelent import documents, she said, "We got a tip from New Zealand about a container of Orange Roughy that was manifested as Hokie. We intercepted the container at port and sent samples to our lab, and yeah, it was Hokie."

Orange Roughy is another fish in some peril, and it turns out that this species does not mate until it is quite old. So if you fish Orange Roughy before it's mature it never has a chance to reproduce. Therefore, fish like Orange Roughy and Chilean Seabass are harder to catch legally and, like drugs, guns, and any other contraband, unscrupulous importers will wager that illicitly-filled shipping containers will never get scrutinized by U.S. Customs.

"This is a big business," said agent Hamm. "We've entered into a league with other countries called CCAMLR (pronounced Camalar, and standing for "Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources") in which restrictions and parameters for catching Patagonian Toothfish are set," she said. "But some countries aren't a party to CCAMLR. Like Canada. But we hope the Canadians are in within a month or two. Still, there's an awful lot of contraband making it's way into the U.S."

As a result there are chefs in restaurants in San Francisco that are refusing to offer Chilean Seabass now, and their precedent has now been matched by chefs in the L.A. area, as restaurants become aware of the plight of this species. Restaurant owners just don't know if the "legally" purchased fish is really caught under the strict regulations outlined in each fisherman's CCAMLR harvesting permit.

These permits are issued by two men based in Washington, D.C. If you want to catch the Patagonian Toothfish without fear of going to jail, you talk to Mark Wildman and Dean Swanson at the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Sustainable Fisheries. In spite of the existence of the CCAMLR's import control program, "We are aware of the problem of misreported and misdocumented Patagonian Toothfish," said Wildman. When asked if his agency has formed an opinion about whether it's in the best interest of the Patagonian Toothfish for us to buy and eat it, he said, "We're preparing a press release about that right now. It ought to be out within a week. It'll be on the NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] website."

I called Trader Joes back, and I informed the customer service person of what I'd learned, and I asked for a better explanation. "Hey, what you told me yesterday is that you only purchase legally fished Chilean Seabass." I said. "What you didn't tell me is that you'll go to jail if you don't."

"Please hold." said the customer service representative. After coming back she said, "Do you know who you talked at our wholesaler? The buyer is going to set up a meeting with them. We'll get back to you."

When they get back to me I'll get back to you.