Fisheries humbug
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 08:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lethargic_manDear [Tesco],
I am writing concerning the labelling and availability of fish produce in Tesco stores.
Several years ago I became aware of the perilous state of North Sea cod stocks. As you are probably aware, North Sea cod has been overfished to the brink of non-sustainability, and scientists are warning that cod stocks are poised on the brink of population collapse. That this is no idle warning is shown by the collapse fifteen years ago of the Grand Banks cod population off the coast of Newfoundland. As a result of learning this, I determined to switch to eating other gadoid fish (members of the cod family) instead.
However, despite continued warnings of the danger on the national news, it is difficult to find other gadoid fish in general shops. Even in large supermarkets such as Tesco the choice is limited. When I shop for gadoid fish, I use your Brent Cross branch, where typically I buy Alaska pollack or coley. However, frequently there is none on sale in the frozen fish section of the supermarket. Consequently, I am writing to you to request increasing your stock of fillets of non-cod gadoid fish.
Moreover, as a large supermarket Tesco has the potential through advertising to educate consumers that non-threatened species of gadoid fish are available. By contrast a year or two ago Tesco ran an advertising campaign for cod featuring the slogan "One moment it's in the North Sea. The next it's somewhere off the South Circular Road." I consider this reprehensible behaviour. (If, however, your marketing campaign has changed since, as it has taken me a while to get around to writing this, consider the above comment withdrawn.)
On a different subject, a few days ago the Word Wide Fund for Nature claimed that bluefin tuna stocks in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean were being "stripped bare" through illegal overfishing, and that this fish population, too, was at risk of collapse. Consequently, I resolved to change my tuna purchasing, in favour of other tuna species, such as skipjack or yellowfin. However, when I examined cans of tuna at your Brent Cross store, I discovered none of them were labelled either as to species or as to where fished. Consequently I am writing to request you add this information, for the benefit of discerning customers such as myself.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Michael S. Grant
Update: Next time I was there, a week later, I saw the big fivepacks of tuna—which must have all sold out the last time I was there—do indeed say what country's produce it was, but the individual tins do not.
I am writing concerning the labelling and availability of fish produce in Tesco stores.
Several years ago I became aware of the perilous state of North Sea cod stocks. As you are probably aware, North Sea cod has been overfished to the brink of non-sustainability, and scientists are warning that cod stocks are poised on the brink of population collapse. That this is no idle warning is shown by the collapse fifteen years ago of the Grand Banks cod population off the coast of Newfoundland. As a result of learning this, I determined to switch to eating other gadoid fish (members of the cod family) instead.
However, despite continued warnings of the danger on the national news, it is difficult to find other gadoid fish in general shops. Even in large supermarkets such as Tesco the choice is limited. When I shop for gadoid fish, I use your Brent Cross branch, where typically I buy Alaska pollack or coley. However, frequently there is none on sale in the frozen fish section of the supermarket. Consequently, I am writing to you to request increasing your stock of fillets of non-cod gadoid fish.
Moreover, as a large supermarket Tesco has the potential through advertising to educate consumers that non-threatened species of gadoid fish are available. By contrast a year or two ago Tesco ran an advertising campaign for cod featuring the slogan "One moment it's in the North Sea. The next it's somewhere off the South Circular Road." I consider this reprehensible behaviour. (If, however, your marketing campaign has changed since, as it has taken me a while to get around to writing this, consider the above comment withdrawn.)
On a different subject, a few days ago the Word Wide Fund for Nature claimed that bluefin tuna stocks in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean were being "stripped bare" through illegal overfishing, and that this fish population, too, was at risk of collapse. Consequently, I resolved to change my tuna purchasing, in favour of other tuna species, such as skipjack or yellowfin. However, when I examined cans of tuna at your Brent Cross store, I discovered none of them were labelled either as to species or as to where fished. Consequently I am writing to request you add this information, for the benefit of discerning customers such as myself.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Michael S. Grant
Update: Next time I was there, a week later, I saw the big fivepacks of tuna—which must have all sold out the last time I was there—do indeed say what country's produce it was, but the individual tins do not.
