You May Be Killing Whales with Your Dinner

This is the third installment of "On the Hook," a five-part series focused on how consumers can help further the sustainable seafood movement. For more posts in this series, see here and here.

The Ross Sea, a deep bay off Antarctica's southern coast, serves as the textbook definition of the word "pristine." The body of water boasts islands, a volcano, and a massive ice shelf. It's also home to an incredibly complex and diverse network of marine species. According to Fishwise, scientists believe the region to be one of the world's last ecosystems that's unaffected by humans.

Until now, that is. Two of the region's top predators are struggling for survival, threatening to upset the delicate balance of the Ross Sea's ecosystem. The culprit? Seafood eaters' insatiable cravings for Chilean sea bass.

About 25 years ago, diners discovered the Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish, both of which are more commonly referred to as Chilean sea bass. The fish is delish, it's easy to cook, and it's now as ubiquitous on American restaurants' menus as burgers and fries. Just google "Chilean sea bass" and you'll pull up a slew of recipes on how to pan-roast, grill, and sear the versatile swimmer.

But from an environmental perspective, Chilean sea bass really isn't a type of fish that should be caught at all, nevermind fished to the max. The creatures live for about 50 years and reproduce extremely infrequently. If fishermen are constantly pulling them out of the water, it's easy to see how populations can quickly start to plummet. Chilean sea bass now rank as one of the most threatened fish in the world, yet diners continue to chow down on the struggling swimmers.

Declining Chilean sea bass populations is a problem in any region, but it's especially worrisome in the Ross Sea. The bay is home to a unique type of whale called the Ross Sea Killer Whale. This kind of whale isn't found anywhere else in the world, and it sits at the top of the regional ecosystem's food chain.

Unfortunately, the Ross Sea Killer Whale likes to eat Chilean sea bass almost as much as people do. According to Fisise, scientists say they haven't seen Ross Sea Killer Whales swimming around anymore, and they suspect the decline in the whale's fave food to be the culprit. A decrease in Ross Sea Killer Whales and Chilean sea bass could have a double-whammy effect on other marine critters that call the Ross Sea home — remove two fish that sit at the top of the food chain, and it's easy to see how the region's ecology could quickly get thrown out of whack.

The obvious way to save the Ross Sea is to stop eating Chilean sea bass. But consumers can have an even bigger impact by targeting unethical seafood distributors. Greenpeace is petitioning Costco, America's largest wholesale retailer, to institute a transparent, sustainable seafood program at the store. The non-profit is also asking Costco to stop selling threatened species of fish, beginning immediately with orange roughy and Chilean sea bass. Sign onto Greenpeace's petition and help save one of the earth's last pristine places, the Ross Sea.

Photo credit: Robert Pitman via Wikimedia Commons