Fridrik Jón Arngrímsson, director of the Icelandic Federation of Fishing Vessel Operators (LIU), criticised the move as 'typical Greenpeace tactics', as the group has been applying pressure to small retailers in Europe and now seems determined to use the same strategy in the USA.

According to Greenpeace, overfishing, environmentally unfriendly fishing methods and high rates of discards are the reasons for these species being present on the list, which includes species such as Atlantic cod, ocean perch, monkfish, hoki and Alaska pollack. Farmed species such as salmon and warm water shrimp are also there.

Greenpeace wants retailers to take up environmentally aware purchasing policies and for consumers to be able to trace their purchases back to when and where the fish were caught.

Fridrik Arngrímsson was reported on the website Interseafood.com that having seen how Greenpeace has pressured retailers in Northern Europe and the UK, it hardly comes as a surprise that US retailers are the next target.

"In Britain, sales chains were branded good or bad, depending on how willing they were to follow these group's" instructions. Those who were not willing to co-operate were the victims of various kinds of illegal action."

His comments, which came in an official statement from the vessel operators, said it was difficult to work out what exactly is behind this latest list. The logic for demanding Alaska pollack fishing stops is that the quota has been cut by 28 per cent this year, which Greenpeace claims reflects the weak state of the stock. He says that this is rather a reflection that this is a responsibly and well-managed fishery.

"It's ridiculous that groups such as Greenpeace, that claim to be the standard bearers of the green movement, should in this way be able to libel people who work in a responsible manner."

He pointed out that there are various points that are very unclear in the Greenpeace list, as while Atlantic cod is present, there are huge differences in the way these stocks are managed in Iceland, the North Sea and the Baltic.

"Unfortunately these organisations are more interested in a simple slogan than in getting it right. I'd like to know how they can sleep at night knowing that the livelihoods of a great many people are being jeopardised by these actions."

He adds that if Greenpeace were to see all of its demands fulfilled, the result would be huge costs for consumers and retailers.

"It would hardly be in the interests of the environment if everyone were to stop fishing the species on the Greenpeace list and put their efforts instead into catching other species."

In the US, the director of the National Fisheries Institute, John Connelly, has warned his members to be wary of Greenpeace action. NFI members include fish retailers, fish restaurants and companies involved in fisheries and processing.

John Connelly's warning says that the composition of the Greenpeace list does not take scientific evidence into account and it is highly inaccurate.

The Greenpeace list includes species such as hoki and Alaska pollack that are MSC certified, as well as warm water shrimp, of which a third of the shrimp consumed in the USA is eco-labelled.

He points out that Greenpeace has a tendency to over-simplify complex issues, with species in one area where they are managed responsibly bundled together with other species where they are not necessarily so well-managed.

His opinion is that Greenpeace's efforts are achieving little more than confusing the consumer, as most people working in fishing have a vested interest in supporting sustainable fisheries, making a statement from Greenpeace something they do not need to continue to be able to market their seafood products.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend