Denmark retailer calls for sustainable tuna

A leading retailer in Denmark is expressing its frustration with the lack of sustainability caught skipjack tuna available from a fishery certified nearly a year ago.

Dansk Supermarked is the latest buyer in Europe to publicly show its support for the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) sustainable tuna. The retailer joins companies including Anova Seafood and Spar Austria who in recent weeks have urged fishing companies and processors in the PNA region to start catching and producing their skipjack tuna sustainably.

In December 2011, the PNA free school purse seine skipjack fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, but so far no certified tuna has reached the market.

According to Dansk, the problem is that boat owners and canneries located in the PNA are not cooperating and the fishery is still waiting for its chain of custody certification as a result.

“I was hoping now that everything would be in place and that we could get started because I know that we can sell a lot of MSC tuna products. We will put them on our shelves when it’s available, but we need to have a supply,” said Soren Lund Thomsen, Dansk category purchasing manager. “It’s disappointing that we’re still waiting for things to get ready. The aim for Dansk is to have all our fish — canned or frozen or fresh — sustainable. And number one, when we talk about sustainability is MSC. We’re not there yet, but that is what we’re working on and MSC is the obvious solution for us.”

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