Earlier today activists from Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, and Brazil arrived at the Foul Bay Safeway in Victoria, BC to remind Safeway of its responsibility to protect the oceans. Volunteers greeted the public with banners that read “Don’t Buy Don’t Sell Redlist Fish” and “Safeway: The Way to Extinction.”
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| (Activists inside Safeway, photo by Ben Fox) |
Four activists were already in the store to present letters to employees, collect Redlist fish, and cordon off the fresh fish counter with “Oceans Crime Scene” caution tape. Employees did not accept the letters, which explained why we were there, but the activists succeeded in locking a cart of Redlist fish to one of the fish freezers. Activists also held images of bycatch and remained in the store until police arrived to remove them.
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| (CBC interviews Oceans Campaigner Sarah King, photo by Ben Fox) |
Oceans Campaigner Sarah King took interviews with almost every media outlet in town while volunteers distributed copies of the Redlist. They also fielded questions about greener seafood options. The activists on the inside were removed by lunchtime. Two of them were carried. Once in the police cars, local media interviewed the activists through open windows.
While the store manager wasn’t thrilled by our visit, we did manage to remind Safeway that as a large buyer and seller of seafood, they have the power to protect against harmful harvesting practices.
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| (Volunteers in front of Safeway, photo by Ben Fox) |
One of the volunteers—dressed as a Redlist fish—offered a Redlist to an officer and he accepted it. Rumor has it that the officer liked the costume.