Waitrose is calling for a sea change on the issue of sustainable fishing as new research reveals that 72% are unaware that some fish are as close to extinction as the white rhino.
Half our cod could be illegal, but 84% of Scots admit they do not even try to buy fish from a sustainable source.
However 68% are more likely to make sustainable choices when given the facts.
Waitrose is now calling on consumers to ask where their fish comes from.
Waitrose is releasing the findings to support next week’s nationwide premiere of new film ‘The End of the Line’ on World Oceans Day (8 June).
Half the cod on our plates could be illegally caught - fished outside of quotas put in place to protect future supplies. When made aware of facts such as this, 70% of people are more likely to make sustainable choices. But over three quarters of Scots (84% compared to national average of 78%) admit that they currently don’t attempt to buy sustainable seafood at all.
Brits have a long-term love affair with cod, and it has been the most popular white fish for generations, but with that love-affair comes a black market, threatening future stocks.
The YouGov survey of 2,000 UK adults - commissioned by Waitrose - reveals widespread ignorance of the issues around sustainable fishing.
However, the research also reveals that consumers do want to shop ethically. When told just a little about the issues involved, 70% say they are more likely to seek out sustainable seafood.
Most Scots questioned want restaurants (88%) and supermarkets (90%) to buy their fish from sustainable sources. And over half said they would be prepared to pay a little more for seafood if it is sustainably sourced (54%).
The film ‘The End of the Line’, based on the book by former Telegraph Environment Editor Charles Clover, promises to be ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for the Oceans, drawing much-needed attention to the issue of sustainable fishing.
The plight of the world’s fish stocks has been described by the film’s makers as “the greatest environmental disaster that people haven’t heard about”. Some scientists warn that seafood resources could face total collapse by 2048 if we continue as we are, taking fish off the menu for good and having a devastating impact on the environment.
