Loblaws moving toward selling only sustainable seafood

Loblaws a Canadian food chain that boasts it is the country's largest buyer and seller of seafood, as begun introducing its sustainable seafood drive in 18 stores before a national rollout.

The grocery giant's goal is to sell only sustainable seafood by the end of 2013. Shoppers are already encountering some empty trays at some Loblaw fish counters. The empty trays contain signs pointing out that Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, skate and shark are species at risk. Eco-friendly alternatives – such as sablefish or Pacific halibut instead of the Chilean sea bass – are suggested as alternatives.

To guide seafood buyers, Loblaw also posts certification labels from the Marine Stewardship Council, a non-profit, international agency. A new Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification for farmed fish is also being developed. It is expected to be completed in two years. Standards have already been set for tilapia and Vietnamese catfish.

Jeffrey Hutchings, a biology professor and marine conservation expert at Dalhousie University, says 80 percent of the world's fisheries are "fully fished, overfished or depleted." For example, he says the southern St. Lawrence cod fishery, once the largest source of cod in the world, may be gone in 20 to 40 years.

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The move towards more sustainable seafood supplies has been talked about and on-going in one degree or another for quite some time now. I welcome the news that companies such as Loblaws are taking a stance and making concrete moves to reduce the amount of seafood from non sustainable sources.

According to the FAO, "sustainable fisheries and aquaculture means the harvesting and farming of fish stocks in a manner that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

More on the subject of fisheries sustainablity