Dead but still daunting, a Patagonian toothfish caught off the Falkland Islands shows how the species got its name.

Laid out in the commercial fishing ship Gambler's below-decks cutting room, the catch awaits "trunking"—the removal of its head and guts, partially by buzzsaw. Soon after, the fish will be flash frozen and packed in plastic layers. On artisanal fishing ships, the whole process is carried out by hand and on a slippery deck.

Biological study teams have declared this Falklands fishery sustainable, photographer Paul A. Sutherland says, though no official certification has been issued—adding to the murkiness of sea bass sustainability.

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