In an industry first, Tristan International, the U.S. subsidiary of Transmarina of Ecuador, has been given exploratory fishing permits in Ecuador for Patagonian toothfish by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
Toothfish, commonly marketed as Chilean sea bass, can only be supplied to the U.S. from countries that have gained CCAMLR approval. While other countries, such as Chile, have been able to fish and supply the U.S. with toothfish, Ecuador has been unable to do so until the recent approval.
“Until now, there has been no legally caught toothfish product available to the United States from Ecuador” Jayson Gauthier, sales director for Tristan International, said in a release from the company. “We are bringing in limited quantities of H&G toothfish to start and we hope to expand to further value-added items as our production increases.”
According to the company, initial products will include headed and gutted toothfish in various sizes, from 4 kilograms to 30 kilograms or more. A portion program will be developed “in the near future” as well.
“We have been working on this project for years and we are delighted that the NOAA and CCAMLR bodies have given us permission to legally fish for toothfish in Ecuador,” Ari Dorfsman, President of Tristan International, said. “We currently have two vessels approved and operating in fishing zone FAO 87 in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. We expect to have product ready for sale by mid-March, 2019.”
