La latest canned tuna guide released by Greenpeace Australia. (Image: Greenpeace Australia)
Greenseas ranks last in Greenpeace’s canned tuna brand list
AUSTRALIA
Thursday, April 20, 2017, 23:40 (GMT + 9)
Greenpeace states that the Australian tuna brand Greenseas continues using capture destructive practices to attract large numbers of many species of fish and threaten sharks and sea turtles.
According to the environmental organisation, this company is the only important brand in Australia to have abandoned its commitment to sustainability and failed its commitment to stop using fish aggregated devices (FAD). As a consequence of this behaviour, Greenseas ranks last in the 2017 Tuna Guide that has just been released by Greenpeace.
“Greenseas fails the transparency test – providing no evidence to prove it can trace where its tuna comes from. It has also removed commitments and sustainability information from its website. Its human rights record is unknown. None of this is good enough,” Greenpeace points out in its guide.
Therefore, the NGO is calling on Austrlian food store chain Woolworths to drop Greenseas canned tuna from its shelves.
In Greenpeace’s list, Fish4Ever ranked 1st and it is considered to provide the best example of fair and environmentally responsible tuna on the Australian market. According to the NGO, the brand pioneered low-impact, responsible pole and line caught tuna in Australia and its commitment continues undiminished to promote fisheries that benefit local communities.
John West ranked 2nd this year and was assessed to have made big improvements as to sustainability practices, meeting its commitment to source only FAD-free tuna.
Safcol came next in the ranking, followed by ALDI Australia, Sirena and Coles, which are brands that for Greenpeace show positive efforts towards sustainability.
IGA’s private labels came 7th. According to Greenpeace, this brand has made big improvements to labelling and transparency in the past, but they still need to get to know their supply chain better but it needs to improve its sustainability and social responsibility policies.
In 9th position and before Greenseas came Sole Mare, which, in Greenpeace's opinion, needs to make improvements to its traceability auditing.
Greenpeace explains that brands and retailers are ranked on a number of criteria, including sustainability policy, fishing methods used, tuna species caught, traceability, labelling, support for marine conservation, fairness, legality, as well as human rights and supply chain labour issues.
“Running out of tuna wouldn’t just mean we’d lose a convenient, healthy protein from our shelves - it could mean serious problems for the ocean ecosystems tuna are a part of, and for coastal countries, like our Pacific neighbours, it could mean the collapse of local economies,” pointed out Greenpeace campaigner Andrew Kelly.
“Australians can help protect tuna stocks and the health of our oceans by not buying Greenseas, and asking Woolworths to remove it from their shelves. Instead, opt for more responsible brands, such as Fish4Ever and John West,” Kelly concluded.
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