A Trendy Fish Gets Snubbed

By Maggie Sieger

It's a marketing stunt that may just have worked too well. In the 1980s, the largely unknown Patagonian toothfish was plentiful in deep Antarctic waters. After a name change to the menu-friendly "Chilean sea bass," the catch became a staple at upscale restaurants, popular for its mild flavor, which allows chefs to show off their sauces. But this week a Chilean sea bass boycott organized in February in San Francisco by the environmental group National Environmental Trust moves to its fifth city--Philadelphia--and high-profile restaurateurs in New York City, Los Angeles and Washington will probably add their names to the growing list of 300 eateries that won't serve the fish. The boycotters, including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., say aggressive overfishing in recent years has depleted stocks. U.S. Customs efforts to enforce a 24-nation treaty preventing pirated fish from reaching market are not working, they say. Chilean sea bass can grow to 10 ft. and as much as 200 lbs., but poachers are known to harvest the high-profit fish at just 7 lbs. Wholesale prices for sea bass have doubled over the past four years, and U.S. Customs last year seized more than 35 tons of the fish caught by poachers. But the U.S. State Department, responding to the boycott, issued a release last week reassuring the public that most Chilean sea bass imported to the U.S. is caught legally. Industry groups say the boycott will probably hurt lawful wholesalers the most. The campaign mirrors a boycott of Atlantic swordfish launched by environmentalists in 1998. That species recovered after temporary fishing limits were imposed. Until the Chilean sea bass is back in good graces, environmentally minded diners can switch to turbot, grouper or striped bass. Put on a good sauce, and you probably won't know the difference.

--By Maggie Sieger