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NEW research by Stirling University in Scotland has found that many shoppers are confused by the large number of 'eco labels' that are appearing on supermarket brought fish.
The report author, Professor James Young, says there should be better information for customers who want to support sustainable fishing and says the inconsistencies in labelling should be simplified.The Review of Fish Sustainability Information Schemes reviewed the various types of advice available to seafood shoppers, including eco-labels and lists on fish to buy or avoid.
Professor Young said: "Working from different data sets has led to results which are inconsistent between schemes and have created confusion for consumers."
Advice for fish buyers is currently provided by several organisations including the Marine Stewardship Council, Friends of the Sea and the Marine Conservation Society.
Another major source of concern was that fish stocks could vary greatly between fisheries - so shoppers did not know if what they were buying was from a sustainable source or not. Equally, some species could be excluded from a sustainability list simply because of the way it is caught. The report also said more had to be done to help poorer countries recognise standards in sustainability.
The report was yesterday welcomed by Dr John Harman, development director for Seafish who said it emphasised the need for consistency and credibility. He added that failure to reform the system could lead to the public losing confidence in the fish labelling systems, with potentially disastrous results for fish stocks.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
