Coles approach to seafood sustainability
Well-managed and sustainable fishing is essential for healthy oceans, livelihoods and economies worldwide.
Coles approach to sourcing sustainable seafood is part of our strategy to meet our customers’ expectations in an ethically and environmentally responsible way.
In March 2011 we asked the WWF, the world’s leading experts in seafood sustainability, to review all of our wild-caught fresh seafood so that we can be sure that the quality fresh fish you enjoy from Coles is sustainable for future generations.
The WWF has now completed this review and so you will start to see changes to the fish we sell and helpful labelling so that you can make an informed choice in our stores.
Why have we done this?
Some species of ocean fish are suffering a significant decline in population from overfishing and changes to marine eco-systems. To preserve fish stocks, we are working with WWF to source sustainable seafood.
What does sustainable seafood mean?
Sustainable seafood means: Fish are able to thrive in well managed fisheries and farms, caught and grown using best practice fishing methods that reduce any environmental damage and potential unwanted by-catch particularly threatened, endangered and protected species.
What will be different?
As WWF approve each species, they will be highlighted as a sustainable seafood choice to help you make informed decisions. At present, farmed fish, thawed fish and crustaceans are not being assessed, but will be over the coming months.
Find out more about seafood sustainability via the links below:
Sourcing sustainable seafood
Our commitment
What we've done so far
Further information
Sourcing sustainable seafood
Accessing a sustainable source of seafood is a major concern for all retailers around the world. For instance, Australia’s demand for seafood currently exceeds, by about double, the local production capacity of the wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Our oceans are under more pressure than ever from human impacts and some species of fish are already suffering a significant decline in population from overfishing and changes to their marine eco-system.
Our commitment
Coles is committed to providing our customers with seafood they can enjoy in the knowledge that it comes from sustainable sources. Over the coming years we will move to sell more seafood from sustainable sources, whether wild-caught or farmed.
The use of sustainable fishing practices and effective management will ensure that seafood continues to provide food and employment in the future.
We will continue to seek independent advice from marine and fisheries experts. We will take advice from major independent conservation organisations, such as WWF, and support credible sustainable seafood -sourcing initiatives such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
In addition we are working with and encouraging our major brand suppliers to assess their own sustainable seafood practices.
We support the principle of marine reserves for the conservation of marine life based on sound scientific advice.
Coles has been in consultation with independent fisheries and conservation experts to assist us in making decisions about our seafood offer, whether it is sold fresh, frozen or canned.
What we’ve done so far
-WWF
Coles has engaged WWF, the conservation organisation, for scientific advice and guidance on the sustainability of our seafood offer. Coles will be working with our seafood suppliers and experts from WWF to ensure the future availability of sustainable seafood options. We will also work with the MSC to provide our customers with more Coles Brand seafood from certified sustainable fisheries.
WWF will use a set of criteria for assessing the sustainability of seafood, that considers biology, status, interactions and management.
Coles has also become a signatory to the WWF Global Seafood Charter which commits us to work with WWF to help safeguard valuable marine eco-systems, ensuring the long-term viability of seafood supplies that we all depend on.
-Coles tuna range
Canned tuna is Australia’s favourite fish with millions of cans being sold each year. Particular concerns have been raised for the sustainability of the world’s tuna fisheries. Coles Brand canned tuna is only made with skipjack tuna (Katsuwonas pelamis). Skipjack tuna are a short-lived tropical species that are not currently considered to be in danger of overfishing in the oceans that we source our fish from.
We do not source yellowfin or big eye tuna, two popular species that are in many cases currently overfished or in danger of over-fishing.
All Coles Brand tuna can be traced back to the specific fishing vessel through the catch statement that accompanies all deliveries of fish. We have restricted the supply of our skipjack tuna caught in purse seine nets to the Western and Central Pacific Ocean in recognition of the progressive conservation measures put in place by the management authority. These include 100% independent observers on all fishing vessels, a 6 month ban annually on the use of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) from 2012 (3 months in 2011), strict controls on Illegal, Unregulated or Unreported (IUU) vessels and the banning of fishing in two proposed marine reserves or “High Seas” areas.
We are working with all key stakeholders to maintain and expand the sustainability of our tuna offer and are pleased to announce that we are now selling three varieties of Coles Brand ‘pole and line caught’ tuna. These products are produced from skipjack tuna caught in the Maldives. Pole and line fishing is a selective fishing method that significantly reduces bycatch of non-target species such as sharks and turtles.
In addition, all our Coles Brand tuna suppliers are certified “Dolphin Friendly” by the Earth Island Institute which means our tuna is caught by methods that do not harm dolphins and protect the marine ecosystem.
-MSC certified salmon
Our Coles Brands canned salmon range comes from MSC certified sustainable fisheries and our products from the 2010 catching season will be labelled with the MSC logo. MSC labelled Coles Brands salmon will be making its way into our stores during 2011.
-Orange roughy
Last year we removed orange roughy from all our stores in response to concerns about the overfished status of many of the Australian stocks of this fish and its listing as an Australian threatened species.
-Labelling
We have already committed to clear labeling of our Coles Brands seafood to make it easier for our customers to make informed purchasing decisions when they shop at Coles. Our policy ensures that we always identify our seafood using their common names in accordance with the Australian Fish Names Standard and we will be including the scientific names in the future. Credible eco-certification logos such as the MSC logo will also be used to communicate fish sustainability where they are sourced from certified sustainable fisheries.
Further Information
See below for useful links and additional information.