Your help in getting supermarkets to sort out their seafood is vital! As a consumer and potential customer, your concerns about what supermarkets sell can really put pressure on supermarket bosses to change their practices.
If your supermarket, fishmonger or restaurant does not have a good policy on sourcing sustainable seafood, you will need to do the hard work yourself. Asking questions about your seafood sends a clear message to supermarkets and restaurants that people do care where their seafood comes from.
Is there something I haven't tried before?
Many stocks of the popular whitefish such as cod or plaice are in bad shape - there may be plenty on the shelves, but there are not many left in the sea. Try something new - ask staff at the fish counter for a good alternative to your usual choice. Some supermarkets are promoting these alternatives each month - look out for these options. If consumers reduce consumption and broaden their tastes, then the pressure on popular species can be reduced.
We now know the oceans are not limitless, and that many of the species they support are being pushed to the brink of extinction by the activities of the greatest predator on the planet - ourselves. But just as we have been a major cause of the crisis facing our oceans, so we also hold the solution in our hands.
As individuals we need to hold both our governments and our companies to account.
Recovering the body of a dolphin killed by trawling in the English Channel
Around the world we are working to protect ocean ecosystems: by lobbying governments and corporations to ban destructive fishing methods; to create an international network of marine reserves; and to inform the public about what is happening by bearing witness to whaling and illegal fishing.
Sea squirts on the Inner Hebrides seamount, Scotland
The threats which face the oceans are many and varied. Left unchecked our seas are rapidly being emptied by a combination of overfishing, climate change and industrial pollution. Vital breathing space is needed if there is to be a genuine chance of recovery from the damage caused by years of human activity - but it needs to happen now.
Supermarkets repond to the challenge of sourcing sustainable seafood
Summary
Almost a year has passed since Greenpeace first challenged the major UK retailers to ensure that the seafood they sell is sustainable. "A Recipe for Change" is a review of the progress that supermarkets have made on this issue over the last 12 months.
Greenpeace campaign archive. Last updated 2006-10-05
As the supermarkets have begun to improve the sustainability of the seafood they sell, Greenpeace has been keeping careful track of their progress. Our new league table shows how the supermarkets are now performing and compares their current performance with their position last year.
