Wal-Mart confronted on failure to ensure sustainable seafood for customers

Activists are canvassing inside the store with a banner reading “Save Seafood, Do Better,” based on the Wal-Mart slogan “Save Money, Live Better.” Other banners showed the consequences of destructive fishing. Activists are also handing out information to customers and pointing out seafood products of concern sold in Wal-Mart.

“We want Wal-Mart customers to know that much of the seafood they buy from Wal-Mart comes from farming and fishing methods that are having devastating impacts on ocean life,” said Sarah King, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner. “Supermarket chains should not sell seafood products, such as farmed salmon and yellowfin tuna, until they are sustainable. We’re asking customers to help us convince Wal-Mart to ensure both its customers and our oceans have fish for the future.”

One species on Greenpeace’s Redlist, farmed salmon, is an ongoing concern for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB). CCNB has a long-standing campaign to encourage the salmon farming industry in the Bay of Fundy to clean up its practices and become more sustainable. CCNB says the industry has not improved and continues to threaten sensitive marine ecosystems in the region.

“The current aquaculture industry practice of raising salmon in open net cages in the Bay of Fundy results in the direct large-scale release of fish waste, uneaten fish feed and additives to Fundy waters. As well, open cage farming in the Bay has led to large-scale escapements of aquaculture fish when nets are torn by storms, predators and accidents. These released fish can spread disease to endangered wild salmon stocks and compete with the few remaining in our rivers. The Conservation Council of New Brunswick has a long-standing campaign to require salmon to be raised in closed systems onshore, which would eliminate escapements and the direct discharge of contaminants to the bay, instead of open net pens in Fundy waters,” said Fundy Baykeeper, David Thompson.

Wal-Mart and all major buyers and sellers of seafood can help transform the salmon farming industry by using their buying power to push the industry to become more sustainable. While Wal-Mart and some other chains have begun taking steps to source more sustainable seafood options, farmed salmon remains a species that no one has addressed or removed from sale, despite growing concerns from the scientific community and environmental groups.

The Wal-Mart activity follows a screening in Fredericton on Oceans Day, June 8, 2009, of “The End of the Line,” a documentary about the impacts overfishing on oceans.

CCNB and Greenpeace hosted the screening as part of their work to raise awareness about threats to the marine environment and to demand better protection for oceans through the creation of marine reserves, through stronger regulation and better management of the fishing and aquaculture industry.

 

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Editor’s Note:

Wal-Mart received a failing grade in Greenpeace’s latest seafood report, Out of Stock, Out of Excuses: Ranking retailers on seafood sustainability. The report ranks Canada’s major grocery chains on their seafood policies and practices.
 
The activity in Fredericton is part of a three-week confrontation campaign by Greenpeace at supermarkets in 19 cities in five provinces. More information about Greenpeace’s sustainable seafood campaign, the 2009 Retailer Ranking and Out of Stock, Out of Excuses is at www.greenpeace.ca/out-of-stock
 
For more information about CCNB’s campaign on aquaculture and its work through the Fundy Bay Keeper, visit http://conservationcouncil.ca/Fundy-Bay-Keeper/Sustainable-Aquaculture.aspx

The 15 Redlist species are: Arctic surf clams, Atlantic cod, Atlantic haddock, Atlantic halibut, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, Chilean seabass, Greenland halibut, New Zealand hoki, orange roughy, sharks, skates and rays, swordfish, tropical shrimp and prawns, and tuna.

For more information, please contact:
Sarah King, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner, (778) 227-6458 (on location in Fredericton)

David Thompson, Fundy Baykeeper, (506) 635-1297 / (506) 694-8780           

Jessica Wilson, Greenpeace media and communications officer, (778) 228-5404