Fisheries
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), world fish stocks are seriously threatened by over-fishing: 52% of fisheries are fully exploited (meaning they cannot sustain any increase in production), 16% are over-fished and 7% depleted, leaving just 25% offering scope for further expansion.
Our commitment to sustainable sourcing
As the UK's leading fishmonger, Sainsbury's is concerned about this issue and is working closely with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Sainsbury's was the first retailer in the world to set targets on fish sourcing based on MSC-labelled products. In 2002 we committed to source all our wild fish from sustainable sources by 2010.
Products that carry the MSC logo have been certified as being sourced from sustainable and well-managed fisheries. It also means that each step from the boat to the store can be traced. An independent certifier evaluates a fishery to determine if it meets the MSC Standard. See www.msc.org for more about the MSC.
Sainsbury's offers a range of own-label MSC-certified products, including chilled hoki fillets and wild Alaskan salmon fillets, frozen wild Pacific salmon and canned salmon. In 2005 we added hake and pollock.
Challenges
Although 14 MSC lines are currently available in our stores, they only account for 1% of our total fish sales and we are still some way from achieving our target of 100% by 2010. There are two main reasons for this.
- There are currently only 11 fisheries certified to the MSC Standard, producing just 4% of the global wild fish supply.
- British consumers still prefer traditional favourites such as cod and haddock, which have not yet achieved certification.
Our approach
We remain committed to our original target of sourcing all our fish from sustainable fisheries, but we recognise that we are unlikely to achieve this by 2010. We are working on this challenge in several ways, including trying to raise consumer awareness of fish sustainability issues and to communicate the availability of sustainable alternatives to traditional British favourites such as cod and haddock. All pre-packed fresh fish products are now labelled with the area of catch (eg 'caught in the NE Atlantic', 'farmed in Scotland', 'cultivated in Thailand') to help customers make informed decisions.
We have set up a Fish Integrity Group to monitor progress towards our sustainability target and address significant issues as they arise. It consists of internal stakeholders as well as key suppliers and external experts. The Group is currently developing an interim system for monitoring how effectively fisheries are managed, and reviewing issues such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in farmed salmon, and the sustainability of wild fish stocks used in fish meal.
We have funded a three-year project jointly with the MSC to encourage the tuna industry to adopt sustainable fishing practices. The project started in 2002, with the appointment of a dedicated tuna fisheries officer, based in the MSC's Asia Pacific office. One albacore tuna fishery on the US west coast has completed its pre-assesment certification to the MSC Standard and other tuna fisheries have been identified as potential candidates for eventual certification.
Other fish issues
Warm-water prawns – we only take prawns from sites that are well established and we do not source prawns from farms in active mangrove forest cutting areas. We are also active participants in the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), reviewing social and welfare issues in the prawn industry.
Mackerel trawling – our mackerel supplier has worked closely with the Sea Mammal Research Unit observer (funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and with observers from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science. These studies confirm that fishing activities for mackerel supplied to Sainsbury's does not cause any detrimental effect to the marine environment.
Sea bass trawling – Sainsbury's does not sell wild sea bass unless it is line caught, due to concerns about the trawling methods used that may lead to the capture of dolphins and porpoises. Our sea bass is mainly from farmed sources.
Farmed salmon feed – we recognise concerns about levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in farmed salmon and are discussing the implications of developing a unique feed formulation with suppliers and industry experts.
