#johnwesttuna

GUILT-FREE TUNA & HUMAN RIGHTS

Did you ever walk into a supermarket and stop at the tinned tuna, not knowing which one to buy? Here is some food for thought! As worldwide fish stocks have been rapidly decreasing over the past twenty years, sustainable fishing methods have become a hot topic and most of the greatest producers of tuna have been put on the spot. The League Table, a recent study proposed by Greenpeace, shows the sustainability of the variety of tuna brands available in British supermarkets (league table here) . 

Very unsatisfyingly, John West’s tuna was found to score the lowest in the rank – next to Princes – as 98% of its tuna is caught using “fish aggregation devices” (FAD), which kill other marine wildlife, such as small whales, sharks, dolphins and endangered turtles. In order to show its full commitment to transparent fishing techniques, John West has recently provided its customers with a full traceability system on its website, which allows them to know the whole journey of the tuna they buy. This system becomes however “faulty” when it comes to fish which was sourced in Thai waters, asking consumers to email John West directly and wait for response that, in many occasions, was not provided. Greenpeace finds this unacceptable, mostly due to the muddy circumstances in which the protection of the environment and of fishermen’s human rights “employed” in Thai vessels are carried out. In fact, it is widespread that many Thai fishing companies literally withhold workers in their vessels, sometimes for years, into forced labour, and evidence shows that Thai Union, John West’s owners, has been linked to such abuses. Although one of John West’s spokeswomen has considered the faulty traceability “simply a website limitation”, Greenpeace asks for full transparency and accountability for the company’s actions. And so should we.

There is much more behind a tin of tuna and everyone can make the difference with a very simple action. When you buy, look for pole-and-line fishing methods and try to avoid tuna coming from Thailand, unless it is clearly stated on the tin that it is sustainably sourced and that you are able to trace it. It may not impact your every-day life, but someone out there will be thankful to you.