Sustainable Seafood Abroad: France
Posted on | May 10, 2010 | No Comments
So far, 2010 is proving to be a big year for France and its seafood consumers. SOP profiles positive gains France is making in the sustainable seafood front, and we highlight where improvements are needed.
In February, a global summit about sustainable seafood took place in Paris. Seafood Choices Alliance brought together seafood industry leaders and observers to talk seafood sustainability. The meeting of the minds no doubt raised the profile of this critical issue in France.
In March, a public campaign called Mr. Goodfish was launched to improve consumer decision making when purchasing seafood. The initiative organizers and its 65 (and growing) fish retailer and restaurant partners actively promote a list of seafood species that are responsibly managed and harvested. The organizers are also working with aquariums in Italy, Spain, and France to validate the project’s outreach and education tools.
Since 2002, frozen fish maker Findus France has been committed to obtaining their raw material from sustainable sources. In fact, the visionary company boasts an impressive 10 principles for sourcing and promoting sustainable seafood [Editors note: A tool like Google Translator is required to view the 10 principles in English.] Findus France happily reports that their investment in responsible sourcing is paying off. It claims a recent 22% increase in sales while their main competitor suffered a 4% drop.
But, not all is rosy in the land of fine wines and foie gras. French fishermen continue to pillage the European eel population. They harvest baby eels that are then sold to China where the fish are grown to marketable sizes. This unsustainable harvest does not allow enough eels to flourish in the wild and replenish the population. The French government needs to rectify this situation through stricter regulation and enforcement. This is not an unreasonable expectation, given the government’s recent stance on the harvest of endangered bluefin tuna.
Tags: bluefin > Eel > Findus France > France > Mr. Goodfish > Seafood Choices Alliance > Seafood Summit
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