A RECIPE FOR DISASTER SUPERMARKETS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SEAFOOD ‘If commercial fishing is not heavily regulated, there will be little left to harvest in the seas outside of the lowest levels of the food chain. So you don’t need to worry about these problems as long as your children like plankton stew.’ Daniel Pauly, Professor of Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Canada, 10 August 20041 A RECIPE FOR DISASTER 1 SUPERMARKETS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SEAFOOD CONTENTS List of Tables and Figures 2 4.2.2 ASDA’s seafood policies 64 Glossary 3 4.2.3 Review of ASDA’s seafood policies 66 Executive Summary 6 4.3 Sainsbury’s – ‘Making life taste better’ 66 4.3.1 Sainsbury’s background 66 1 Introduction 9 4.3.2 Sainsbury’s seafood policies 66 1.1 Fisheries in trouble 9 4.3.3 Review of Sainsbury’s seafood policies 68 1.2 What is sustainable seafood? 10 4.4 Safeway/Morrisons – ‘More reasons to shop at…’ 68 1.2.1 Principles of sustainable fisheries 10 4.4.1 Morrisons’ background 68 1.2.2 Is aquaculture the solution? 10 4.4.2 Morrisons’ seafood policies 68 1.3 Supermarkets and the seafood industry 11 4.4.3 Review of Morrisons’ seafood policies 68 1.4 Supermarkets and sustainability 11 4.5 Marks & Spencer – ‘Quality & trust’ 69 4.5.1 M&S’s background 69 2 Identifying sustainable seafood: Labelling and certification 13 4.5.2 M&S’s seafood policies 69 2.1 Standard fish labelling 13 4.5.3 Review of M&S’s seafood policies 71 2.1.1 Consumer information 13 4.6 Somerfield – ‘Good food made easy’ 71 2.1.2 Traceability 13 4.6.1 Somerfield’s background 71 2.2 The ‘Ocean Wild Frozen at Sea’ mark 14 4.6.2 Somerfield’s seafood policies 72 2.3 ‘Dolphin safe’ and ‘dolphin friendly’ tuna 14 4.6.3 Review of Somerfield’s seafood policies 73 2.3.1 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 4.7 The Co-op – ‘Investing in people’ 73 dolphin-safe tuna 14 4.7.1 The Co-op’s background 73 2.3.2 Earth Island Institute dolphin-safe tuna 14 4.7.2 The Co-op’s seafood policies 73 2.3.3 Is dolphin-safe tuna sustainable tuna? 15 4.7.3 Review of the Co-op’s seafood policies 74 2.3.4 What does dolphin-safe mean in the UK? 16 4.8 Waitrose – ‘Good food, honestly priced’ 74 2.4 Marine Stewardship Council certification 17 4.8.1 Waitrose’s background 74 2.4.1 History and principles 17 4.8.2 Waitrose’s seafood policies 74 2.4.2 Certification process 17 4.8.3 Review of Waitrose’s seafood policies 77 2.4.3 MSC supporters 19 4.9 Iceland – ‘Food you can trust’ 77 2.4.4 Challenges to MSC certification 19 4.9.1 Iceland’s background 77 2.4.5 Development and reform of the MSC 19 4.9.2 Iceland’s seafood policies 77 2.5 Aquaculture certification schemes 20 4.9.3 Review of Iceland’s seafood policies 77 2.5.1 Organic aquaculture 20 2.5.2 The RSPCA Freedom Food scheme 20 5 Other seafood supplier policies 79 2.6 Consumer seafood guides 21 5.1 Young’s Bluecrest 79 2.6.1 Good fish guide – UK 21 5.1.1 Young’s Bluecrest’s background 79 2.6.2 Other European guides – Germany & the Netherlands 21 5.1.2 Young’s Bluecrest’s seafood policies 79 2.6.3 Best fish guide – New Zealand 21 5.1.3 Review of Young’s Bluecrest’s seafood policies 80 2.6.4 Australia’s sustainable seafood guide 22 5.2 Unilever 81 2.6.5 The fish list – USA 22 5.2.1 Unilever’s background 81 5.2.2 Unilever’s seafood policies 81 3 Seafood sold in UK supermarkets 25 5.2.3 Review of Unilever’s seafood policies 83 4 Supermarket seafood procurement policies 61 6 Conclusions and recommendations 85 4.1 Tesco – ‘Every little helps’ 61 6.1 The best and worst supermarket seafood practices 85 4.1.1 Tesco’s background 61 6.2 Improving the sustainability of supermarket seafood 85 4.1.2 Tesco’s seafood policies 61 6.3 Promoting alternatives to seafood 86 4.1.3 Review of Tesco’s seafood policies 63 4.2 ASDA – ‘Always low prices’ 64 References 90 4.2.1 ASDA’s background 64 Acknowledgments 93 2 A RECIPE FOR DISASTER SUPERMARKETS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SEAFOOD Table 2.1 Dolphin-safe policies of major 17 Table 6.1 Ranking of supermarkets’ sustainable 87 UK brands of tinned tuna seafood policies Table 2.2 Fisheries with Marine Stewardship 18 Table 6.2 The most destructively fished (MCS grade 5 87 Council certification or equivalent) seafood species or groups sold by each UK supermarket Table 4.1 Major UK supermarkets and their share of the 61 seafood retail market Table 6.3 The most destructively fished (MCS grade 5 88 or equivalent) seafood species or groups Table 4.2 Fish banned under Marks & 70 sold in UK supermarkets Spencer’s sourcing policy Table 6.4 Model sustainable seafood policy for supermarkets 89 Table 5.1 Sources and certification of the major seafood 80 species sold under the Young’s brand Figure 5.1 Unilever’s traffic light system for the 82 Table 5.2 Sources and certification of white fish species 82 assessment of sustainable fisheries sold by Unilever A RECIPE FOR DISASTER 3 SUPERMARKETS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SEAFOOD GLOSSARY AIDCP Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program AMCS Australian Marine Conservation Society Aquaculture Cultivation or farming of any aquatic species – marine or freshwater, plant or animal. ASOC Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition Beam trawl A type of bottom trawl in which the horizontal opening of the net is provided by a beam, made of wood or metal and mounted at each end on guides or skids which travel along the seabed. Used mainly for flatfish and shrimp fishing. Benthic Bottom-dwelling Biomass The total weight of a group (or stock) of living organisms or of some defined fraction of it (eg spawners), in a given area, at a particular time. BMSY Biomass corresponding to maximum sustainable yield (see MSY). Often used as a biological reference point in fisheries management, it is the long-term average biomass expected if fishing at FMSY (see Fishing mortality). BOI Blue Ocean Institute Bottom trawl A trawl designed to work at the sea bottom. The lower edge of the net opening drags along the seabed, and is normally protected by a thick ground rope and ballasted with chains, sinkers, rubber discs, bobbins etc. Bottom trawls include low-opening trawls for demersal species, such as beam trawls and shrimp trawls; and high-opening demersal trawls for semi-demersal or pelagic species. Brood stock Eggs, juveniles or adults of a species, from which a first or subsequent generation may be produced in captivity, whether for growing in aquaculture or for release to the wild for stock enhancement. Bycatch The part of a catch other than the adults of the target species, which is taken incidentally. Some or all of it may be returned to the sea as discards, usually dead or dying. Cetacean A marine mammal of the order Cetacea, including whales, dolphins and porpoises. CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The policy under which the EU manages all fisheries within the European EEZ. Critically Endangered Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future (IUCN definition). Data Deficient Presumed to be at some risk of extinction, but there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of this risk based on its distribution and/or population status (IUCN definition). Demersal Of a fish or other organism: living near or on the seabed. Of a fishery, etc: operating within this zone. Demersal fish include haddock and cod and flatfish. Dredge Gear used in fishing for shellfish, consisting of a rugged triangular steel frame and tooth-bearing bar, behind which a mat of linked steel rings is secured. A heavy netting cover joins the sides and back of this mat to form a bag in which the catch is retained. Shellfish such as scallops are raked out of sand or gravel and swept into the bag. Several dredges are towed together from a tow bar and larger vessels generally tow two bars. Driftnet A net kept at or below the surface by numerous floats, that drifts with the current, freely or with the boat to which it is attached. May be used close to the bottom (eg shrimp driftnet) or at the surface (eg herring driftnet), usually across the path of migrating fish schools. Fish strike the net and become entangled in its meshes. Also known as drifting gillnets, driftnets are associated with a high level of bycatch. DSIMP Dolphin Safe International Monitoring Programme EDSMO European Dolphin Safe Monitoring Organisation EII Earth Island Institute Endangered Not Critically Endangered, but facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future (IUCN definition). Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). An alliance of companies, NGOs and trade union organisations, set up to promote and improve the implementation of corporate codes of practice covering supply chain working conditions. ETP Eastern tropical Pacific 4 A RECIPE FOR DISASTER SUPERMARKETS’ INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SEAFOOD EU European Union Exclusive economic zone (EEZ).