Greenpeace on Monday launched a new campaign attacking the Big 3 brands of canned tuna.
The campaign attacks unsustainable fishing methods used to catch tuna and states that the tuna industry actually has not one, but four, "dirty little secrets," including the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) and longlines that increase bycatch, unregulated fishing outside exclusive economic zones where “anything goes” and ransacking of waters in the independent Pacific Island states.
Using a video titled “The tuna industry’s dirty little secret,” the environmental group uses cartoon characters associated with Bumble Bee, StarKist and Chicken of the Sea to mock the tuna industry’s “Tuna the Wonder Fish” campaign. In the video, a mermaid eats a dolphin and other bycatch, while a bee eats a shark and a tuna fish is depicted as an alcoholic.
“Here’s the issue: Catching tuna in a manner that keeps the price hovering around USD 1-USD 2 per can is difficult. It’s a challenging process for a number of reasons, not least of which is that most species of tuna are constantly on the move across the vastness of the open ocean,” said Greenpeace. “Chasing these schools around is a time- and resource-intensive process – especially with oil prices on the perpetual upswing – but the tuna industry has found a way to cut some pretty significant corners.
“Unfortunately, this has led to any number of nasty consequences, and those smiling bumble bees and luxuriating mermaids on the tuna cans at your neighborhood grocery store have done a great job covering them up…until now.”
At the end of the video the message “Help expose the canned tuna industry by sharing this video with everyone you know.”
To view the campaign video, click here. The ad also appears on Greenpeace’s social media sites.
