This post was updated 1 Dec 2011.
I’m super glad Greenpeace has put out this Canned Tuna Guide guide. Here I was thinking Sirena was best. Amazing how an idea can spread, and how it sticks…
Canned tuna is the biggest selling seafood item in Australia. As supermarkets sell more and more of this profitable product, tuna stocks are in a critical condition. Greenpeace is now putting pressure on supermarkets and consumers to take responsibility for this problem. Overfished species such as Bigeye and Yellowfin Tuna are ending up on Australian supermarket shelves. Greenpeace is encouraging supermarkets to switch to sustainably caught Skipjack Tuna.
And fishing methods introduced to protect dolphins kill endangered turtles and sharks. But consumers would not know this from the label on the can.
As of 2011, Greenpeace’s new revised list puts Fish 4 Ever tuna on top as most sustainable. It’s available in health food shops, and has a gorgeous label design. SInce I first posted the guide, Safcol has made massive improvements and now offers Australian customers canned tuna caught using a sustainable fishing method. Most brands have also ruled out using threatened Yellowfin Tuna.
For an interactive image with more information on each brand, go here.
Yet there’s a long way to go. In the UK, every major canned tuna player has stopped using destructive fishing methods, but Australia lags behind.
It’s time Australian brands change their tuna.Take action now!
