US voters demand stronger ocean protection

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A new poll reveals that US voter are overwhelmingly in favour of stronger ocean protection, including safeguarding workers’ rights and promoting transparency in the seafood supply chain.

The issue could be a key vote winner at the upcoming election in November with three-quarters of those polled saying they are more likely to vote for a candidate with policies that combat forced labour and illegal fishing.

Seafood

Source: NOAA

US voters want better ocean protection and more transparency is the seafood supply chain, says a new poll

The national poll, conducted for conservation group Oceana, surveyed 1,053 registered voters in June this year.

“American voters clearly want to know the seafood they’re purchasing is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labelled,” said campaign director Dr Max Valentine.

“It’s time for the US government to heed the call of voters and require traceability for all imported seafood.

“The United States has the purchasing power and, more importantly, the responsibility to combat illegal fishing and its associated human rights abuses. We can only do that by expanding seafood import control regulations to all seafood to ensure Americans know exactly what is on their plate and how it got there.”

Key findings from the poll include:

91% agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labour should not be bought or sold in the US.
90% believe imported seafood should be held to the same standards as US caught seafood.
88% say consumers should be reassured that the seafood they purchase was legally caught.
88% want the implementation of harsher penalties for companies that import or sell seafood that was illegally caught.
87% support seafood products being required to be labelled with information like where it was caught, how it was caught, and what fish species it is on packaging. 
87% believe illegally caught seafood should not be allowed to affect the livelihoods of law-abiding fishers in the US
86% say there should be a new law that would ensure illegally caught fish were not sold in the US.
85% agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate.
77% believe there should be increased funding for government agencies to better enforce protections on US seafood imports.
75% say they are more likely to vote for a political candidate who supports policies that ensure imported seafood to the US does not come from forced labour or illegal fishing.