NZ Toothfish Catch Faces Ban by US Supermarkets

New Zealand Toothfish Catch Faces Ban by United States Supermarkets

Major North American supermarket chain Safeway this month announced it will no longer buy or sell Antarctic toothfish caught from the Ross Sea in Antarctica. The company is also calling for the Ross Sea to be designated a Marine Protected Area (MPA).

The company states; “Safeway has pledged to not buy or sell toothfish (Chilean sea bass) harvested from the Ross Sea and encourages Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) member countries to designate the entire Ross Sea as an MPA” (1,2). Safeway is one of the five largest grocery chains in North America, operating more than 1,800 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Ross Sea is regarded by scientists as being one of the last intact marine ecosystems left on earth. Since 1996 an international fishery – initiated by New Zealand, and now involving up to 12 different nations – has operated every summer in the Ross Sea to target Antarctic toothfish, which is sold as ‘Chilean sea bass’ in up-market restaurants around the world.

A call to have the entire Ross Sea designated as a no-take marine reserve has been made by the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition on behalf of a growing number of international groups including Greenpeace, IUCN, Mission Blue and the Last Ocean Charitable Trust.

Last year US retailer Wegmans made a similar commitment not to sell any seafood from the Ross Sea and supporting the creation of a marine reserve there (3).

Karli Thomas, oceans campaigner with Greenpeace, said; “we are thrilled to have found such effective partners as Safeway and Wegmans in our mutual quest to protect the Ross Sea as a marine reserve.”

Safeway’s plan should come as a wake-up call to New Zealand companies Sealord, Sanford and Talley’s, which all operate toothfish vessels in the Ross Sea. The New Zealand fleet has taken around half of the total allowable catch for toothfish in the Ross Sea since the fishery began (4).

Christchurch-based Last Ocean Charitable Trust has recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of the values of the Ross Sea amongst New Zealanders.

In response to Safeway’s announcement, Trust founder Peter Young said; “I hope the New Zealand Government can show similar forward thinking by supporting the phasing out of commercial fishing in the Ross Sea. As the world's last large intact marine ecosystem the Ross Sea is a natural treasure that needs protecting.”

CCAMLR has made a commitment to designate a network of marine reserves around Antarctica by November 2012 and the Ross Sea has been identified as one of the areas to be considered for this network. Political support is now needed from member countries, including New Zealand, to ensure this protection is given.

ENDS