Sustainable Seafood Faq

SUSTA AINABLE SEAFOO OD CAM MPAIGN FAQ What do o we want supermarke s ets to do? •

Re emove red-list species from m their shelvess

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A Adopt sustaina able seafood purchasing policies

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Prrovide clear and a informativ ve labeling on n all the seafo ood products they sell

Why foc cus on supe ermarkets? Collective ely, supermark kets sell a masssive amount of seafood an nd consequently can influe ence how the e products they t sell are caught c or prod duced. If large supermarke ets stop selling g overfished and a destructiv vely fished or farmed seafoo od, and start to t demand only o sustainablle seafood, th he fishing indu ustry will impro ove. In addition, large l superma arkets can ad dd their weigh ht behind posiitive reforms in n fisheries management, which w is critical iff we are to av vert the crisis facing f our oceans and enssure quality fish from sustain nable fisheriess for years to come.

‘ e’ seafood? ? What is ‘sustainable Sustainable fisheries and aquaculturre operations are those whiich can be maintained ind definitely witho out reducing the targeted species’ abilitty to maintain n its populatio on at healthy levels, and witthout adverse ely impacting g on other spe ecies within th he ecosystem – including hu umans – by re emoving their food source, accidenta ally killing them m, or damaging their physical environment.

Do you have h any examples e of a sustaina able fishery? There are very few susta ainable fisheries. Sourcing sustainable s se eafood is extre emely comple ex because of o the difficultiess in accurately y assessing fish h populationss and because e it is very difficult to trace the supply of fish from the ocean o to the supermarket. s Buying sustainable fish is difficult because there is no truly effective e ‘green lab bel’ that consumers can loo ok for on fish products, p as there t is with wood w products for example e. Wood pro oducts are ma arked with the e Forest Stewa ardship Counc cil (FSC) logo if i they come from f sustainable sources. Th here is no truly y equivalent labeling schem me for seafoo od.

What ab bout MSC la abeled seaffood products? The Marine Stewardship p Council (MSSC) runs a labe eling scheme e that ‘certifiess’ fisheries tha at it deems as sustainablle or that are making effortts to become sustainable. Greenpeace G does not currrently endorse e the MSC sche eme because,, under its rule es, fisheries tha at are still unsu ustainable (ev ven though th hey may be working to o improve) ca an be awarde ed the MSC logo.

Is farmed fish a solution? Fish farming has been promoted by the fishing industry and governments as the solution to ever-decreasing stocks in our oceans. However, in most cases fish farming only makes the problem worse! This is because: 1.

Wild caught fish are often used for fish meal and fish oil to feed farmed stocks which increases the pressure on the marine environment rather than reducing it.

2.

Some breeding stocks for fish farms are taken from wild populations.

3.

Disease and parasites can easily spread from fish farms in open waterways to wild populations.

4.

Environments surrounding fish farms are polluted by fish waste, uneaten food, and the chemicals, antibiotics and vaccines used to control disease.

Is there any hope? Yes! Thanks to growing awareness of the plight of our oceans, and consumer interest in supporting businesses that make every effort to implement sustainability, we are seeing progress. But more needs to be done, and you can help – let your supermarket know that you want sustainable seafood.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at [email protected].