Maersk’s Sustainable Seafood Saga
Posted on | May 31, 2010 | 1 Comment
The world’s largest container-shipping company, Maersk, made headlines throughout the seafood business press this past week. In a case of good intentions, misunderstandings, and clarifications, the New Zealand government, Greenpeace, and John Sackton of SeafoodNews.com all played a role. SOP clears up the story and teases out a couple positive messages.
On May 27th, Greenpeace New Zealand announced that Maersk “refuses to transport unsustainable seafood including New Zealand species.” Maersk never issued its own press release on this commitment but a company executive was quoted in Greenpeace’s release saying they “recognize the global concerns over the overfishing of toothfish species and support efforts to curb this trade.” Later that day, John Sackton reported, “Greenpeace gets some major shippers to refuse to transport toothfish, orange roughy.” For a company that transports 20% of the world’s seafood cargo, this could have major implications.
The New Zealand government, who oversees a fishery management system recognized as among the most effective, took issue with Maersk’s alleged refusal to ship species that the country manages sustainably. While much of the world’s toothfish (commonly sold as Chilean sea bass) and orange roughy catch is unsustainable, New Zealand argues its catch has been reduced to sustainable levels. SOP believes New Zealand is on the right track. But for species that live over forty years, it is too early to tell if these stocks have been rebuilt to levels where current harvest rates are sustainable.
On May 28th, Maersk issued a statement to clarify its intentions and offer New Zealand peace of mind. The company is “reviewing its policy with regard to the future acceptance of seafood shipments,” and their “current acceptance policy remains in place.”
Let’s quickly recap the two-day media mishap. First, Greenpeace New Zealand overstated Maersk’s plans to ship sustainable seafood. Making matters worse, John Sackton incorrectly reported that Greenpeace actually convinced the company to make this commitment. New Zealand rightfully stood up for itself and its fishing industry. This led Maersk to take a step back and reevaluate its jump into the sustainable seafood movement.
A couple important messages are embedded in this story. One of the world’s most important players in the global seafood industry recognizes the importance of sustainably managed fisheries. A shipping company engaging in the movement illustrates how far the message is spreading. Undoubtedly, Maersk will learn from its recent dip into sustainable seafood. Its policies will need to account for many complexities including different standards of sustainability and reliable traceability from sustainable sources.
Tags: Chilean sea bass > Greenpeace > John Sackton > Maersk > New Zealand > orange roughy > seafood > SeafoodNews.com > shipping > sustainable > toothfish
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June 28th, 2010 @ 12:30 PM
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