The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has compiled a “Sustainable Seafood Supermarket League Tableâ€, based on the performance of the ten main
At the top of the MCS League Table is Marks and Spencer • the
Bottom of the League Table by default is Lidl from whom MCS has been unable to obtain any information at all.
“Supermarkets play a huge role in shaping how our fisheries and fish farms are managedâ€, says Bernadette Clarke, MCS Fisheries Officer. “Whilst the most responsible retailers are making an effort to remove all over-exploited and biologically vulnerable fish from their shelves, others continue to sell themâ€.
Responding to demands by environmental organisations such as MCS, supermarkets are increasing their efforts to sell fish from sustainable sources. Provisional results of the MCS supermarket survey were published in October 2005. Since that date, a number of supermarkets, most notably Asda and CoOp have delisted or removed from sale a number of species including huss (dog fish) and skate, which are identified by MCS as Fish to Avoid because they are vulnerable to exploitation. Tesco has also recently delisted bigeye tuna; Sainsburys huss and skate; Somerfield monkfish, swordfish and huss; Waitrose Atlantic halibut and red snapper; and Morrisons European hake, grouper and grey mullet. All of these species are identified by MCS as Fish To Avoid because they come from unsustainable sources and/or are vulnerable to exploitation.
However, the MCS survey identifies a number of vulnerable or unsustainably fished species still on sale in several major supermarkets, including Atlantic cod,
Somerfield, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose continue to sell skate • a particularly threatened
The research carried out by MCS also revealed that there is insufficient labelling of fish to allow the consumer to make an informed choice. With the exception of Marks and Spencer and Waitrose, customer information and labelling of fish in most stores is at its most basic, complying only with the minimum requirements of European Fish Labelling Laws. MCS believes that more detailed information • namely the method of capture and stock from which fish are caught – is needed to enable shoppers to make more informed decisions about the fish they purchase and eat.
Sainsburys and Morrisons, however, have stated that they plan to introduce more detailed point of sale information with Morrisons indicating that it may even label its fish with the MCS Rating to allow customers to make more informed decisions about the fish they buy.
MCS also found that supermarkets generally do not have fish purchasing policies that are sufficiently developed or detailed to reflect the complex nature of buying fish to ensure it is procured from sustainable wild or farmed sources. Another problem is that generally supermarkets do not appear to have dedicated specialist fish buyers who are fully aware of the issues surrounding fishing. The exception is Marks and Spencer and Waitrose who both have dedicated specialist fish technologists and/or buyers.
MCS has contacted those supermarkets whose buying decisions are not sufficiently influenced by environmental factors urging them to rethink and develop their policies. MCS would also like to encourage all supermarkets to continue to work with MCS to ensure that all future buying decisions are sustainable and reflect best environmental practice. To help and advise supermarkets on how to move up the Sustainable Seafood Supermarket League Table, MCS has produced a Responsible Seafood Retail Policy, is developing Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fish Farming, and provides detailed information on the comparative sustainability of over 125 fish species via the MCS www.fishonline.org website.
To enable consumers to make the right choice when shopping, MCS produced a Pocket Good Fish Guide that fits neatly in your wallet, listing the Fish to Eat and Fish to Avoid. Call MCS on 01989 566017 or e-mail info@mcsuk.org for copies (2nd or 1st class SAE required, or postage costs for multiple copies. Up to 10 copies FREE).
