Greenpeace activists scaled frozen food giant Findus' headquarters to expose their dealings with pirate fisheries.
We helped show the path by which fishillegally caught in the
Barents Sea ended up as the viewer's fishdinner. It's estimated
that piratefisheries account for around 30 percent of the cod
caught in theBarents Sea and 40 percent of the catch in the Baltic
Sea.
Findus, who produce a large range of popular frozen fish
products,wereshown to be sourcing illegally caught fish from the
Barents Sea. Also documented were thestrong ties between Findus and
dubious seafood companies including thelargeDanish fish-trader
Kangamiut and China-based seafood giant PacificAndes (alleged to
have strong links to illegal fishing in theSouthern Ocean).
The morning after the show's screening, we turned up at Findus
International headquarters in Sweden todemand an end to their
dodgy fish dealing. Our activists told Findusthey must guarantee
that all their fish products come from legalcatches and not from
depleted or unsustainably managed fish stocks.
No floundering: Findus does the right thing
Findus were quick to react to our demands, promising to break
offtheir contracts with the identified procurers of illegal fish
(DanishgiantKangamiut), and to contract an outside auditor to
review the sourcingpolicy of their othersuppliers. The company also
initiated a "joint Swedish strategy" with the Swedish fish industry
to help combat illegal fishing.
According to theNorwegian government about 100,000 tonnes of cod
are illegally caught inthe Barents Sea each year. The United
Nations Food and AgricultureOrganization saythat over 70 percent of
the world's commercial fish stocks arefully exploited,
over-exploited, or depleted. Illegal fisheries are abig problem
that's only getting bigger -- effective measures need to betaken
now.
Consumer power: pressure for change
By pressuring food suppliers to act responsibly we can help
ensure thatthe food we eat is not contributing to the destruction
of our fisheriesand oceans. As Ocean Defenders,
we can change the way internationalcompanies like Findus work, and
on a global scale this can really makea difference.
For Findus just the threat of customers viewing their brand
negatively made them take immediate action. Isn't itamazing how
much power we consumers really have, especially when we speak with
one voice.
"Individually we are a drop... together, we are an ocean."
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Help us continue to expose the companies involved with pirate fishing around the world. We don't accept donations from governments or corporations: we can name and shame without fear of economic retaliation. But we can only do that with your help.