Patagonian sheep farming boom Patagonian sheep farming boom In late 19th and early 20th centuries, sheep farming expanded across the Patagonian grasslands making the southern regions of Argentina and Chile one of the world's foremost sheep farming areas. The sheep farming boom attracted thousands of immigrants from Chiloé and Europe to southern Patagonia. Early sheep farming in Patagonia was oriented towards wool production but changed over time with the development of industrial refrigerators towards meat export. Besides altering the demographic and economic outlook of Southern Patagonia the sheep farming boom also changed the steppe ecosystem. Sheep farming in Patagonia was carried out in a
Patagonian toothfish sea bass" before settling on "Chilean sea bass". In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted "Chilean Seabass" as an "alternative market name" for Patagonian toothfish, and in 2013 for Antarctic toothfish. In the UK, the approved commercial designations for "D. eleginoides" and "D. mawsoni" are "icefish" and "toothfish". This has created some confusion as there is a genuine "icefish" ("Champsocephalus gunnari") caught in subantarctic waters, which does not resemble toothfish in any way. Patagonian toothfish spawn in deep water (around 1,000m) during the austral winter, producing pelagic eggs and larvae. Larvae switch to a demersal habitat at