Supermarket Asda has banned sales of monkfish from all of its stores across the UK.
It believes the move is vital to save stocks of the vulnerable fish plunging to levels where it may disappear from the seas all together. And it is calling upon celebrity chefs Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay to support the move.
Chris Brown, Asda's sustainable and ethical sourcing manager said: "Our customers expect us to do everything we can to protect wild fish stocks, so we've decided to ban monkfish sales as a precaution until the industry takes appropriate action to ensure its long term survival."
"We are concerned about some of the catching methods that are used and the impact this has on the marine ecosystem. Monkfish are slow to reproduce, therefore the species is more at risk than others and more needs to be done to protect it.
Chris Brown added: "We would like to see celebrity chefs take monkfish off their menus until the long term viability of this species is clearer. Top chefs can drive sales of ingredients sky high over night simply by using them in their TV programmes or mentioning them in interviews.
Oliver Knowles of Greenpeace welcomed the move: "ASDA's decision to stop selling monkfish demonstrates the company's serious commitment to sourcing only sustainable seafood. With concerns growing over the management of this particularly vulnerable species, this type of precautionary approach shows real leadership and should be noted by the other major supermarkets."
ASDA is the only major supermarket to have taken the decision to ban monkfish. The retailer believes that it can persuade customers to substitute other fish species for monkfish.
