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Toothfish - Source: ONE News -
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The decision to give the Antarctic toothfish the eco-friendly label is "scientifically indefensible", international scientists say.
The Marine Stewardship Council's blue eco-label is meant to help guide consumers towards fish caught in a responsible way and from a sustainable fishery.
However, scientists say not enough is known about the fish which is able to survive in freezing waters and is one of the biggest in the Southern Ocean.
Toothfish are slow growing and can live to 24 years. They feed in depths of 1000 to 1500 metres.
However, numbers of the fish have steadily declined.
Dr Clive Evans is one of a large group of scientists who believe not enough is known about the toothfish for it to be certified as coming from a sustainable fishery.
"There's just big gaps in our knowledge we don't know, for example when and how often they breed," he said.
It was while fishing for toothfish in Antarctic waters that a Korean vessel sank last month with the loss of 22 lives.
Dr Evans said the fact that anyone might want to commercially fish so far south indicated a problem.
"You'd have to say coming all the way down to the Ross Sea to catch fish is indicating something about what the fishing's like back near your home town.
"Clearly it has probably been fished out."
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition has recently criticized the Marine Stewardship Council certification of the toothfish.
It has called on the council board to independently review the certification.
Scientists are now calling for a moratorium on Ross Sea fishing altogether until enough is known about toothfish.
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