Thank you for helping us to stamp out beam trawling!

Thanks to the thousands of you who wrote to supermarket bosses and told them how concerned you are that destructive fishing practices like beam trawling should be used to help fill their shelves. This action is now closed.

We've also been busy. Over the past few months our network of activists across the UK has been engaging consumers outside supermarket doors to talk to them about the problems associated with beam trawling and to remind supermarkets of their commitments to act. As a result many of the supermarkets have made good progress:

• Waitrose is on target to phase out all beam trawling by the end of 2007.
• Marks and Spencer aims to reduce beam trawled flatfish to 25 per cent of total flatfish supply by the end of 2007.
• Iceland, as part of its new seafood policy, removed 50 per cent of its flatfish range last September in order to reduce beam trawl use. Only the company’s plaice is now beam trawled (representing just 3.6 per cent of total fish sales).
• Morrisons have also made good progress, removing all beam trawled products (primarily plaice and sole) from their fresh fish counters. One small line of breaded beam trawled plaice remains but their buyers are currently working to change this.
• Sainsbury’s are currently reviewing their beam trawl policy and supply and are due to report back shortly on progress.

Your help in getting supermarkets to sort out their seafood has proved vital! As consumers and potential customers, your concerns about what supermarkets sell really put pressure on supermarket bosses to change their practices.

Click on one of the logos below to see how your support helped to move the supermarket towards restricting beam trawling (Please note that Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have already taken action or are in the process of removing beam trawled products from their stores).