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Today, around 5 per cent of the world's entire fish catch, by weight, is tuna and the global tuna business is worth around $5.5bn. All of the 23 identified, commercially exploited stocks are heavily fished; at least nine of these are classified as fully fished and a further four classified as overexploited or depleted. Three stocks are classified as 'critically endangered', three as 'endangered', and three as 'vulnerable to extinction'. The magnificent and iconic southern bluefin tuna has been reduced by some 95 per cent of stocks before 1950.
[Behind the Label: Tinned tuna]
- Avoid buying tuna. See Greenpeace's Canned Tuna Guide. [Canned Tuna Guide]
- 'End of the Line' the movie. imagine a world without fish [Movie]
- Check out the Sustainable Seafood Guide, made by the Australian Marine Conservation Marine Society. [AMCS]
- Ask your retailer these three questions to help protect our oceans and fisheries.
1. What is it and where was it caught?
2. How was it caught?
3. Do you have a policy for sourcing only truly sustainable seafood? See Greenpeace's Seafood Redlist for list of species to avoid. [Seafood Redlist]
- Know how your tuna was caught. The vast majority of fished tuna is caught by large commercial fishing vessels using one of two methods: long-line fishing and purse seining. Both methods produce by-catch in large numbers. Where possible choose tuna caught by other methods such as Pole and line fishing, or bait-boat fishing, which are very selective and eliminate the problem of by-catch, and have significantly smaller environmental impact.
[AMCS: focus on fishing gear]
The biggest selling seafood item in Australia is canned tuna. As supermarkets sell more and more of this profitable product, tuna stocks are in a critical condition. Supermarkets play a key role in the overfishing crisis by selling us overfished tuna. No Australian tuna brand uses sustainable tuna.
[Please note that Ethical Consumer Group's rating is company based, while Greenpeace's Canned Tuna Guide uses product based rating system. We suggest you avoid buying tuna altogether]
[Greenpeace Canned Tuna Guide]
"MouseOver" stars for Outstanding Product feature descriptions...
Alternative Products (beyond the supermarket)...
Fish 4 Ever
[more info]
Produced by UK company Organico, and imported by small Australian company, First Ray. Their products contain sustainably caught fish and organic oils.
Manufacturer:
Fish 4 Ever
Find alternatives at...
The Green Directory: [Frozen, Canned & Easy] [Canned Goods] [Canned Fish]
'Find environmentally-friendly suppliers'.
The Saved Planet - Canned Fish: [Online] [Shop] [Brands]
'Shop locally, reduce your transport footprint, find your closest eco-friendly products'.
Note:
These organisation are independent and have their own screening and review processes.
