MORE evidence of North America's 'green' credentials on fish emerged at the weeekend with the news that the big Canadian retailer Metro Inc will only sell sustainable fish in the future.
It is taking threatened species off its shelves and that includes Atlantic Cod which some still view as sustainable.
Metro, based in Montreal, is the first major Canadian retailer to announce that it will no longer sell Atlantic cod, either fresh or frozen.Just a few weeks earlier Whole Foods Market, one of the leading natural food retailers in the United States said it planned to colour-code the fish it sells so its customers can buy the most sustainable species. Fish coded with a green label will indicate best choice or fish that is in abundance or fished in an environmentally friendly way. A yellow sticker offers a good alternative, but possible with 'some concerns' on fishing methods while the red is a species to avoid indicating that it is in danger of being over fished or that current catching methods harm other marine life.
In Canada, Metro's new sustainable fish policy will be introduced gradually in supermarkets across Quebec and Ontario and is to be fully implemented by June next year. The policy sees the withdrawal of seven species. They are: Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna, orange roughy, Chilean seabass, New Zealand hoki, skate and shark.
Corporate affairs director Marie-Claude Bacon said that staff at the company have been given special training and will offer customers alternatives, while explaining why they are no longer offered at Metro.
All fresh fish on offer at Metro will bear labels that provide the scientific name of the fish, its origins and the fishing method employed to harvest the fish.
The news has been welcomed by Greenpeace.
Should people be 'stimulated' to eat white fish alternatives to cod?
