British retailer the Co-operative has reaffirmed its pledge not to sell any own-brand or branded yellowfin tuna in its stores, as concerns around the mismanagement of stocks in the Indian Ocean continue to grow, it said.
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The announcement follows the decision by another UK supermarket chain, Tesco, which warned last month it will stop sourcing yellowfin tuna and billfish from the Indian Ocean for its own brand supply unless a recovery plan for rebuilding stocks is adopted at the next Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in November. Belgian retailer Colruyt Group also recently committed to the same.
Co-op hopes that the IOTC's annual meeting in November will address the issue of overfishing.
Tom Pickerell, executive director at the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), a group of major suppliers and retailers, told Undercurrent News that a 25% reduction in catch levels would be necessary to rebuild the stock within two generations (based on 2017 stock levels).
Tuna catches in the Indian Ocean in 2019 were 16% higher than the harvest control rule, according to the GTA.
"We take our commitments to responsibly sourced fish very seriously and have not stocked yellowfin tuna on our shelves for over seven years. We are concerned that Indian Ocean stocks are not being managed effectively and protocols put in place by the IOTC to improve levels are not being enforced," said Cathryn Higgs, head of food policy at the Co-op.
"Whilst we know that some fleets are adhering to reduced catch levels, a more strategic recovery plan needs to be agreed by all IOTC member states before we will even consider returning yellowfin tuna to Co-op shelves. We’ll continue to advocate for greater tuna sustainability as part of our role as a founding member of the Global Tuna Alliance".
In 2017 the Co-op widened its overall tuna sourcing policy to include branded suppliers Princes and John West. All own-brand and branded tuna it stocks must be sourced from fisheries improvement projects which are working towards the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard, or already MSC-certified.
October 06, 2020 at 03:23PM
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UK retailer Co-op reaffirms pledge not to stock yellowfin tuna - Undercurrent News
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