SeaChoice expels OFG
Opinion
Like its US-based partner, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaChoice has failed to distinguish between the true sustainability of the world’s salmon farming regions, calling for the avoidance of all farmed Atlantic in favour of (land-based) farmed Arctic char and (often farmed or “ranched”) Alaskan salmon. T
he SeaChoice program is operated by the four Canadian environmental organizations Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Action Centre, and Living Oceans Society. Its activism is funded primarily by the US-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
During media interviews conducted since the announcement was made yesterday, SeaChoice spokespeople like Jay Ritchlin of the David Suzuki Foundation were quick to point out that one of the main reasons for the discontinuation of the relationship was the lack of accurate information made available with respect to the correct name of some the fish for sale in Overwaitea stores, as well as the origin of those fish.
Anybody with a bit of knowledge would realize that this is an issue in most stores selling fish in British Columbia and the rest of the Pacific Northwest. Take the rockfish, for example - while there are 102 species of this fish in the world, and 36 of these can be found in BC (Vancouver Aquarium), it is almost always sold as “Pacific snapper”, red snapper” or simply “snapper”. Even the SeaChoice website refers to many of these as “common names” instead of insisting on them being referred to by their proper rockfish names.
SeaChoice made this announcement yesterday:
After six years of working together on a sustainable seafood program, SeaChoice announced today, with regret, the end of its sustainable seafood partnership with Overwaitea Food Group (OFG). SeaChoice chose not to continue its partnership with OFG because certain terms and objectives of their sustainable seafood program with OFG were no longer being realized. This is the first SeaChoice/retailer partnership to be terminated. OFG was the first major Canadian retailer to develop a sustainable seafood policy and publicly profile sustainable seafood with SeaChoice in its stores in 2009.
SeaChoice promotes sustainable seafood programs based on the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solution’s Common Vision, which outline six key steps for retailers to take in operating a sustainable seafood program. These include making a public commitment, collecting data, buying environmentally responsible seafood, being transparent, educating staff and consumers, and supporting reform of unsustainable fisheries.
SeaChoice believes that making measurable progress toward these six steps is paramount for retailers in the effort to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the risk of seafood mislabelling or seafood from illegal and unregulated sources entering the Canadian marketplace.
Working with businesses is a primary objective of SeaChoice’s work, which has catalyzed solutions to some of Canada’s biggest sustainable seafood challenges. SeaChoice will continue to support its other retailer partners, including Buy Low Foods, Nesters, Federated Cooperatives Limited and Safeway Operations – Sobeys Inc. in reaching their sustainable seafood commitments. SeaChoice also works directly with fisheries striving to operate using sustainable practices.
