'Fishmongers' lay out dead fish, crabs, sponges and coral at entrances to Asda, Morrisons and Tesco
Today, (Tuesday 5th December) Greenpeace volunteers have displayed hundreds of dead fish, crabs, sponges and coral - outside the entrance to a Birmingham Asda superstore, the fishmongers will also visit a Birmingham Morrisons and Tesco, later today (1). The action is part of a "trawler trash tour", visiting the same supermarkets across the UK (2).
The dead marine life is incidental catch, known as bycatch, from beam trawlers targeting fish such as dover sole, plaice and cod.
"We are taking action today to tell UK Supermarkets to stop selling beam trawled products," said Oliver Knowles, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner.
"Beam trawling is an incredibly destructive fishing method - not only does it damage the seabed, it is also massively wasteful. Up to 70% of what's caught in the net is thrown away, dead or dying. Tesco, Morrisons and Asda continue to sell fish trawled from the sea in this way. We are calling on them, and all supermarkets, to ban beam trawled species from their shelves."
Despite great progress on supermarket sustainable seafood procurement over the last 12 months, with several companies removing some of the most destructively fished species from their shelves, there is still a long way to go to ensure that all supermarket seafood comes from sustainable sources.
Oliver Knowles added, "With nearly 90% of seafood sales made through supermarkets, they are in a prime position to drive forward protection of the oceans."
A poll from Seafood Choices Alliance last year showed 79% of people consider the environmental impacts of seafood to be important.
ENDS
Images available
Contacts: Greenpeace UK press office 020 7865 8255
1. Asda, Coventry Road, B10 0HH; Morrisons, 264 Chester Road, Castle Bromwich B36 0LB; Tesco, Stratford Road, Monkspath
2. The tour has already been taken to Oxford and will travel to another UK town tomorrow.
3. Download the Greenpeace league table (pdf), rating supermarkets according to their seafood procurement policies.
