Sad fish at the launch of the NZ Red Fish List at Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland
The list includes popular but in peril species such as orange
roughy, tuna and arrow squid. It is part of a successful
international consumer campaign being run by Greenpeace that's
already seen supermarkets throughout Europe and the US removing
unsustainable species such as orange roughy from shelves.
"The oceans, fish and fishing are part of what it means to be a
Kiwi," said Carmen Gravatt, Greenpeace Campaign Manager. "We want
to protect our oceans, but also protect our fish species so us and
our kids can enjoy the classic Kiwi hobby, fishing."
All the species listed in the Greenpeace guide are at high risk
of having been sourced from overfished stocks, having been caught
using destructive fishing methods, or both.
"Like all oceans around the world, New Zealand's oceans are in
deep trouble, and it's because a handful of industrial fisheries
are overfishing our fish stocks or using destructive catch
methods,"
"Industrial fisheries are ultimately fishing themselves into
extinction and in the process are ruining it for every New
Zealander who enjoys our oceans and the array of food they
provide."
Greenpeace volunteers and supporters gathered at Kelly Tarlton's
to hand out guides and discuss the campaign with visitors.
They were accompanied by Sad Fish, the official mascot for the
Greenpeace truly sustainable seafood campaign (see attached
image).
Criteria for red-listing wild-caught fish include:
- the species has a life history that makes it vulnerable to
overexploitation
- the species is sourced from overfished and depleted stocks, or
is being fished at such high levels the stock will soon be
overfished
- the fishing methods used to catch the species are highly
destructive to other marine life and/or marine habitats .
"New Zealanders have the power to help end the peril our oceans
and fisheries are in. We're asking people to demand truly
sustainable seafood from their retailer and use the Greenpeace Red
Fish Guide to avoid 12 of the most at risk oceans species.
"If New Zealanders want to continue to eat -let alone sell
-fish, we need to safeguard our fisheries by putting an end to
destructive fishing. This is why Greenpeace is campaigning for a
global network of fully-protected marine reserves covering 40 per
cent of our oceans. Having reserves helps protect our seas from the
ravages of climate change, restores the health of fish stocks, and
protects ocean life from habitat destruction and collapse. We are
also campaigning for the remaining fishing areas to be managed
using the precautionary principle (1) and eco-system based
policies.
The guide can be downloaded from:
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/sos/red-list
Other contacts: Carmen Gravatt, Greenpeace Campaign Director - 021302251
Suzette Jackson, Greenpeace Communications Manager - 021614899
Notes: (1) The precautionary principle means that when (on the basis of available evidence) and activity many harm human health or the environment, a cautious approach should be taken in advance - even if the full extent of harm has not yet been fully established scientifically. It recognizes that such proof of harm may never be possible, at least until it is too late to avoid or reverse the damage done.