Tuna is Australia's favourite seafood product, with over 250 million cans sold every year. Yet few people know that some of our best loved brands continue to use fishing methods which unnecessarily kill thousands of tonnes of sharks, manta rays, turtles and baby tuna - known as by-catch - every year.
This year’s Guide is topped once again by Fish4Ever and Safcol, while Sirena and Greenseas have made important sustainability commitments in the past 12 months. Woolworths, Coles and Sole Mare languish at the bottom, while the biggest seller in the country, John West, remains hooked on destructive fishing practices.
Celebrity wellness adviser and acclaimed author, Sarah Wilson, is supporting the Greenpeace campaign.
“Australians really care about our ocean and marine life and we want to do everything we can to do the right thing by them,” said Wilson. “With so much choice available, this guide really helps the consumer separate the green from the greenwash.”
Since the guide was first launched in 2009, tens of thousands of Australians have written to their favourite brands demanding they change their tuna. Greenpeace’s main ask is for brands to commit to ending the wasteful fishing method known as 'fish aggregating device (FADs).
Fishing with FADs set on giant nets is indiscriminate - at least 10% of each haul is 'bycatch,' such as baby tuna, rays, sharks and turtles.
“Brands all over the world have made the change,” said Greenpeace Ocean Campaigner Nathaniel Pelle. “We hope this year, major Australian brands such as John West do the same.”
The Greenpeace Canned Tuna Guide is available at: www.greenpeace.org.au/tuna
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Greenpeace Media Manager James Lorenz, 0400 376 021
Monday, 22 October, 2012, Sydney: As part of a major new national campaign, Greenpeace today launched its 4th annual Canned Tuna Guide, aiming to help consumers make a sustainable choice.