If you’ve got a hankering for seafood, there are several reasons why you should pass on the Chilean sea bass. Overfishing in our oceans is a major issue, and The Daily Green reports that scientists have warned this particular bass is critically overfished and on the verge of extinction.

The fish, also known as the Patagonian toothfish, Antarctic toothfish, the black hake and icefish are slow growing fish, and can take years to reach an age when they can reproduce, leaving them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. The fish are caught with bottom longlines which damage the floor of the ocean, and also lead to high rates of bycatch. Bycatch is the death of other “nontarget” species like seabirds and turtles. Chilean sea bass are also very high in mercury content, so add your health to the number of reasons one should pass on this bass.

You can take action by encouraging your local restaurants and grocery stores to only carry sustainably harvested fish. takepart and visit the Monterery Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Watch website to find out how to make seafood choices that are both better for you, and better for our oceans.

Related:

• Pass on Chilean sea bass
• Overfishing: a threat to marine biodiversity
• Study warns pollution, overfishing threaten once rich stocks under the sea