Several Australian supermarkets are selling overfished tuna, Greenpeace claims. (Photo: Greenpeace/FIS)

Greenpeace exposes supermarkets selling overfished tuna

AUSTRALIA
Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 00:40 (GMT + 9)

Greenpeace released a guide on Saturday that exposes supermarkets selling overfished tuna to unknowing customers and rating leading brands of the country’s most popular seafood.

“Supermarkets are selling Australian consumers overfished tuna without our knowledge. As a result, many species are being driven to the brink of extinction,” said Greenpeace CEO Linda Selvey.

The most common contemporary method of fishing tuna uses nets as big as several city blocks and catches 1kg of unwanted marine animals for every 10kg of tuna caught. By-catch includes dolphins and endangered turtles and sharks.

“Several species of tuna are in big trouble. Stocks of Northern and Southern bluefin have collapsed and already bigeye, yellowfin and albacore tuna are declining,” she explained.

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“Destructive tuna fishing practices also result in the widespread slaughter of hundreds of thousands of turtles and sharks,” Selvey continued. “Since many brands fail to label their products, consumers are in the dark about what they are eating.”

Greenpeace is calling for supermarkets to switch to skipjack tuna, which can be sustainably fished.

The Greenpeace Canned Tuna Guide ranks Australian tuna brands four areas: how endangered the tuna species is, policy on illegal fishing, fair tuna trade with the Pacific countries and usage of destructive fishing practices.

Greenseas came in first place in the guide and Sirena rated as the worst. Coles came in second place; Aldi in third; Woolworths in fourth; Safcol in fifth; Paramount in sixth; John West in seventh; Sole Mare in eighth; and IGA, Franklins and SPAR tied in ninth place.

Coles, Greenseas and John West no longer sell unsustainably caught tuna, although Sole Mare, Aldi and Woolworths - the country’s biggest retailer – still do.

These days, canned tuna is the biggest selling seafood product in Australia. It generates more than AUD 330 million (USD 299.3 million) for the country’s supermarkets and is a staple food source for many Australian families.

“Most Australians would be horrified to know that they are eating threatened species,” Selvey said. “We have launched this guide to help people make an informed choice and to urge supermarkets to remove the worst, unlabelled brands from their shelves.”

Related articles:

- Demand for 'sustainable' Pacific tuna grows
- Survey ranks green standards of UK supermarkets

By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

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