Supermarket fish policies fuelling destruction at sea
October 27th 2005
A league table ranking supermarkets by their seafood policies has placed Asda at rock bottom. Tesco and Morrisons also fare poorly in the Greenpeace study, which exposes the contribution Britain's biggest retailers are making to the destruction of fish stocks. Marks & Spencer and Waitrose top the scorecard in recognition of their detailed and well implemented sustainable seafood policies, but nearly all of the UK's major supermarkets were found to be selling endangered and threatened varieties of fish.
Supermarkets were marked out of twenty across four categories:
- number of the most destructively fished species sold
- seafood procurement policies
- support and promotion of sustainability initiatives
- labelling policies and public promotion of sustainable seafood
Asda notched up just one point out of twenty, Tesco got five and Sainsbury's ten. US-owned Asda was found to be selling at least thirteen species on Greenpeace's 'danger list' including swordfish, dogfish (shark) and Atlantic cod. M&S, on the other hand, was the clear leader in all fields and scored seventeen. It was found to have a comprehensive, transparent policy which is largely reflected by what it sells, in addition to supporting research and promoting sustainability initiatives. Waitrose also impressed on fifteen points.
In recent years supermarkets have come to dominate the fish market at the expense of local fishmongers. The total UK retail market for seafood is worth ?1.8 billion a year, with nearly 90% of sales made through supermarkets. The retailers ranked in the Greenpeace table have the power to protect fish stocks for future generations or hasten their extinction.
Greenpeace campaigner Oliver Knowles said: "Asda did worse than we'd thought possible, and they fully deserve their bottom-drawer ranking. They stock at least thirteen species of threatened fish and have no public policy on the sustainability of the fish they sell."
He added: "Asda and other supermarkets should take immediate action to remove the most destructively fished species from their shelves. Then they should follow the lead of Marks & Spencer and Waitrose and start sourcing seafood that comes from healthier stocks, caught using less harmful fishing practices."
The league table features in a new report, published today, called 'A recipe for disaster' The study reveals the effect fish markets are having on our seas. As well as ranking supermarkets it details how:
- Three quarters of commercially valuable fish stocks are already fully exploited, overexploited or depleted.
- Worldwide up to 90% of stocks of predatory fish, including tuna, swordfish, cod and halibut, have already been fished out.
- Wild caught fish are used for fishmeal and fish oil to feed farmed stocks like salmon. It takes about three tonnes of wild fish to produce one tonne of salmon. Furthermore disease spreads easily from farmed to wild populations, further depleting wild stocks.
- Industrial fishing for smaller fish such as sandeels and anchovy for use in fishmeal has caused massive disruption to marine food webs and has almost certainly led to the decline in species such as cod, seals and seabirds in the North Sea.
ENDS
For more information contact Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255.
Notes:
Enclosed is a summary of the report and a list of the fish Greenpeace is calling on supermarkets to withdraw from their stores.
Download the full report 'A recipe for disaster'
Fish: Will Stocks Last? supermarket campaign
Fish: What Not to Buy supermarket campaign
Greenpeace is calling on retailers to:
- Immediately begin the process of removing the most destructively fished species from their shelves - those listed as being most overfished and caught using wasteful or destructive methods. For the few of these stocks that are not yet severely depleted, supermarkets must clearly specify the source and method of fishing and work to improve sustainability.
- Increase the range of sustainable seafood they sell - from stocks that are not depleted and using the most sustainable fishing methods - and ensure these sustainable species are promoted effectively in store, on their websites and in store magazines.
- Work with suppliers to source fish from only the least depleted stocks, work with fishermen and/or researchers to improve sustainability of fishing methods and reject fish from fisheries and suppliers that refuse to change.
- Improve seafood labelling by ensuring that all seafood products sold are clearly labelled so that consumers can make a more informed choice about the products they are buying. This means labelling seafood with: the common and scientific name of the species; the specific stock the seafood was caught from or the farm it was cultivated at; the fishing method used to catch it.
Researchers reviewed publicly available information on supermarkets' seafood policies - supermarkets' websites, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, annual reviews and press statements, and surveyed the range of seafood available on supermarket shelves, fish counters and freezers. Supermarkets were then given the opportunity to update and correct any information through written comments and in meetings with Greenpeace.
Download the full report 'A recipe for disaster'
