Unnatural Selection of Antarctic Toothfish in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Historically, fishermen targeted fish in shallow, nearshore waters relatively close to port (Pauly et al. 2005). As these species became depleted, to meet growing demands, fishermen were forced to move offshore and into deeper waters (Hutchings and Reynolds 2004; Koslow et al. 2000; Morato et al. 2006; Hilborn et al. 2003; Pauly et al. 2002, 2005). Steady advances in fishing technology facilitated the exploitation of previously inaccessible fish stocks (Hutchings and Reynolds 2004; Koslow et al. 2000; Morato et al. 2006; Hilborn et al. 2003; Pauly et al. 2002, 2005), and by the mid-1980s fishermen began longline fishing in the northern Southern Ocean for the deep-living Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides (Knecht 2006). Despite international efforts to regulate this fishery, extensive illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing compromised management and caused severe population declines, leading to localized depletions and stock closures within 10 years (Agnew et al. 2002). In search for other profitable toothfish stocks, fishermen soon moved into the southernmost marine regions of the Antarctic, to the freezing waters of the Ross Sea, this time in pursuit of the Antarctic toothfish, Dissostichus mawsoni. Reflecting market forces, both toothfish species are sold in industrialized countries under the market name “Chilean sea bass” and cost $25 or more a pound, a price that few can afford.