The Prince made his point when he addressed the first ever Global Summit of The Consumer Goods Forum, in London recently.

Speaking to senior executives from some of the world's top manufacturers and retailers, he suggested they should use their influence to  change the way the global fishing industry and fishing grounds were managed.The Prince said the warning signs were there, with predictions that many fishing grounds may have collapsed within 50 years. This, he maintained , posed an increasing threat to global security.

He praised as courageous retailers such as Walmart, owners of the Asda supermarket chain in the UK, for insisting that its fish suppliers must be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

This is not the first time that Prince Charles has commented on the threat to global fishing. He has compared  the problems facing fishing now to the time 30 years ago when the  threat from climate change  was first raised, but then no-one wanted to listen. Speaking then at a reception for the Marine Stewardship Council, he  told guests: "The science tells us very clearly that if we continue to fish without any care for the long term sustainability of fish stocks we will soon face a nightmare collapse in stocks and inevitable starvation amongst the world's poorest people."So I think the debate about the marine environment is rather like that which surrounded climate change in the 1980s.

In London last week he more or less repeated that message, adding that retailers should play  a stronger role in educating consumers on responsible consumption.

He added:  "Not everyone reads a paper or watches television news, but everyone shops", and that retailers should "stimulate demand for sustainable fish" in their stores and also lobby government for regulatory support."

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