Demo Cancelled.

Greenpeace Occupation Forces Dramatic Asda Fish
Turnaround

Supermarket chain ASDA is to make a dramatic
improvement in its seafood policy after Greenpeace
volunteers occupied the roof of its Leeds HQ. The
volunteers unfurled a banner with the Asda logo and
catchphrase 'That's Asda price' against a backdrop of
mutilated and wasted fish caught as bycatch by
bottom-trawlers fishing for plaice. Today's occupation
follows weeks of leafleting by Greenpeace volunteers
outside Asda stores. Asda recently came rock bottom in
a Greenpeace league table ranking supermarkets by
their seafood policies. Scoring just one point out of
twenty, Asda was found to be selling at least thirteen
species on Greenpeace's 'danger list'. However in
talks this morning, Asda told Greenpeace that it would
no longer be selling skate, dover sole, ling and huss
(dogfish) and is looking to remove marlin and
swordfish from its shelves. The company is also
devising a seafood policy that promises that they will
now only buy fish from legal and sustainable sources
that show responsibility for the environment.
Greenpeace campaigner Oliver Knowles said:

"Until we scaled the roof of their HQ this morning,
Asda were plunging the depths with their seafood
policies. However, they've now had a substantial and
very welcome turnaround, which will go some way
towards helping to take the pressure off the perilous
state of the oceans. Now it's up to other supermarkets
to act immediately and stop selling the most
destructively fished species."

The world's oceans are in a state of crisis, and 90%
of large predatory fish stocks like cod, tuna,
swordfish and halibut have already been fished out.
The UK retail market for seafood is worth £1.8 billion
a year, and nearly 90% of sales are made through
supermarkets. Greenpeace is calling on all retailers
to:
 Immediately begin the process of removing the
most destructively fished species from their shelves -
those listed as being most overfished and caught using
wasteful or destructive methods. For the few of these
stocks that are not yet severely depleted,
supermarkets must clearly specify the source and
method of fishing and work to improve sustainability.
 Increase the range of sustainable seafood
they sell - from stocks that are not depleted and
using the most sustainable fishing methods - and
ensure these sustainable species are promoted
effectively in store, on their websites and in store
magazines.
 Work with suppliers to source fish from only
the least depleted stocks, work with fishermen and/or
researchers to improve sustainability of fishing
methods and reject fish from fisheries and suppliers
that refuse to change.
 Improve seafood labelling by ensuring that
all seafood products sold are clearly labelled so that
consumers can make a more informed choice about the
products they are buying. This means labelling seafood
with: the common and scientific name of the species;
the specific stock the seafood was caught from or the
farm it was cultivated at; the fishing method used to
catch it.