Shop for Responsible Seafood this Christmas.
When you are enjoying a lovely piece of salmon or snapper at Christmas lunch, being locked on a boat with your identity and worldly possessions confiscated from you sounds like a pretty far-fetched situation. Yet it is a story that is echoed constantly by people who are have been tricked into forced labour on boats, working as fishers. Vito, a Cambodian farmer who was trafficked in the Thai fishing industry, said he ended up as “nothing, less than a ghost,” after being trapped on a fishing boat for over a year, never receiving his payment. Unfortunately, seafood caught by people like Vito can end up on our plates in Australia.
The careful purchase of seafood based on ethical and environmental considerations can reduce the risk of our Christmas seafood having been caught with forced labor. It just requires a little bit of education and mindful purchasing by consumers. Now, for Australians this can be even easier with the Australian Government introducing country of origin labeling at all hospitality venues.
Seafood certifications:
When buying seafood, look out for certifications that signify effort to reduce environmental harm or the use of modern slavery in production.
For wild caught fish, like herring or anchovies, look out for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue tick. This certification means that both supply chains and fisheries have attempted to be compliant with the MSC assurance system, and thus the international UN FAO guidelines. You can find the guidelines here.
Seafood with the MSC blue tick is at a lower risk of having used forced labor in its production. However as the CEO of MSC stated:
Our role is to safeguard the oceans. We remain focused on our mission to address the crisis in global overfishing. And Our Standards focus on environmental, science-based criteria, nevertheless we are committed to supporting collective efforts to improve human rights and to working with other organisations that have a focus on labour issues. (Source)
For farmed fish, such as salmon or tuna, there are multiple different certifications that can be applied. Look for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council or the Best Aquaculture Practices certification. Farmed seafood should also be certified by the Global G.A.P, which appears as a GGN certification, but this is less common in Australia, so you may not find it in most Australian supermarkets.
Most supermarkets will also have their own symbol for responsibly sourced seafood. If you see this, it means that the seafood is compliant with the supermarket’s own sourcing policy, and thus may have a lower risk of having forced labour in the supply chain.
Learn more about the certifications, and each supermarkets policies here.
What types of seafood are good to buy:
Regardless of how well certified a fishery and supply chain may be, there are some types of seafood that are better for the planet than others. This can come down to how the fish are caught in mass volumes, the natural abundance of the fish, or the ecological impact of the fishery on its local ecosystem.
There are some types of seafood that are more responsible options to incorporate into your Christmas meals this year. For example, all southern calamari, herring and whiting are considered to be a “better choice” in Australia’s seafood guide by GoodFish. Click here to read the guide.
Some commonly consumed seafood, such as Atlantic salmon from Tasmania; Eastern King Prawn, wild caught in NSW and QLD; Yellow Fin tuna wild caught from western commonwealth waters have been listed as fish to “say no” to. GoodFish also offers suggested alternatives to some of these unsustainable fish. For example, King salmon from New Zealand is considered a better option than Atlantic salmon from Tasmania. The King Salmon production has been regulated to not have a negative impact on its local ecosystem, unlike the farming of Atlantic Salmon, which has been reported to be quite damaging.
Find more about these recommendations here
What countries of origin are best to get seafood from:
It is important to know where the seafood you’re buying comes from regardless of any certification as these are not comprehensive from a labour perspective.
Generally, seafood from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand will be subject to strict environmental and human rights regulations. Seafood from these countries is less likely to have been produced using forced labour compared to fish produced in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and China which are known to have fisheries that may not comply with international standards. A recent report by Ian Urbina showed Uyghur people in forced labour were being used in seafood processing plants in China. There are certain nations, such as Norway and Iceland, that are held as the gold standard of seafood production.
Where to buy seafood from:
There is not a big difference between buying seafood from a supermarket and a fishmonger in terms of sustainability and modern slavery. A supermarket is more likely to have partnered with certifications such as MSC in order to very clearly show that its product has attempted to be sustainable. A fishmonger is more likely to have sourced fresh and local seafood, meaning that the supply chains are more easily traceable, and emissions in the transport of the fish are reduced, which could make it a better choice for people and the planet.
So, before you choose your seafood based purely off of what would look best on the Christmas dinner table, take a little bit of time to check the sustainability of different types of fish, and the different ways in which they are certified, so that no fisher end up being unable “to clear this horror” from their mind like Vito.
Find out more about making responsible shopping choices for seafood on our website.