Greenpeace's longline hung from the roof of a Costco in Vancouver. (Photo: Greenpeace/Ben Russell)

Greenpeace urges Costco to create seafood policy

CANADA
Thursday, July 01, 2010, 00:50 (GMT + 9)

Green group Greenpeace hung a huge longline loaded with replicas of at-risk marine species from the roof of Costco in Vancouver on Tuesday in a move to get the company to stop selling seafood that is harmfully fished or farmed. A banner attached to longline hooks transformed the Costco sign to read “Costco Wholesale Ocean Destruction.”

The demonstration is part of Greenpeace’s 2010 Taking Stock campaign, which targets Canada's eight biggest supermarkets in an effort to make their seafood purchasing and selling practices less environmentally damaging.

Costco ranked worst in Greenpeace’s second annual supermarket ranking report, Taking Stock: Ranking supermarkets on seafood sustainability, released early this month. The company is the only major food retail chain in Canada not committed to creating a seafood policy.

Costco has also failed to stop selling species that are on Greenpeace's Redlist of destructively fished or farmed seafood.

“Costco is selling out the oceans and its members by refusing to ensure the seafood it sells is sustainable,” said Sarah King, Greenpeace oceans campaigner.

“While all other major supermarkets in Canada are working towards sustainable seafood policies, Costco continues to skirt the issue. Costco is being swept away by the growing tide of more progressive companies and must begin to green its seafood counters now,” she added.

According to Greenpeace’s in-store surveys, Costco sells eight of 15 species on Greenpeace's Redlist -- the same amount sold in 2007 when surveys began. Although these eight species are popular with consumers, they are having serious effects on the planet’s ocean ecosystems.

To Watch a video of the Campaign, please click here

Costco carries dredged Atlantic sea scallops and tropical shrimp either bottom trawled or from farms that pollute drinking water and destroy sensitive coastal habitats. The firm also sells bottom trawled haddock and depleted Atlantic halibut.

The Atlantic cod sold may be from endangered Canadian stocks, but vague labelling keeps customers in the dark. One of the bigger sellers at Costco is farmed Atlantic salmon, which puts wild stocks in jeopardy and pollutes the marine environment.

Meanwhile, yellowfin tuna are caught on longlines like the one hung by Greenpeace, which add to the overfishing of this species and threaten endangered sea turtles, sharks and sea birds, which are often caught and killed as bycatch.

"Consumers can urge their retailer to take action. They can ask questions about where their food is coming from. They can encourage [supermarkets] to source more sustainable methods," King said, Vancouver Sun reports.

“Greenpeace will maintain its campaign against Costco until it agrees to take responsibility for the seafood it sells,” she concluded.

Related article:

- Canadian supermarkets curb 'destructively fished' seafood

By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

 Greenpeace International -Headquarter - Netherlands

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