More than three-quarters (78 percent) of consumers do not purchase seafood from sustainable sources, but 70 percent are more likely to do so if given the facts, according to a Waitrose-commissioned survey released on Wednesday.
Using the survey results as a peg, the upscale retailer, with 185 stores across the United Kingdom, is calling on consumers to inquire about the origins of the fish they buy. Conducted by YouGov, the survey polled 2,000 British adults.
According to the survey, 72 percent of consumers are unaware that some seafood species, including bluefin tuna, are as close to extinction as the white rhino. More than half (52 percent) are unaware that fish stocks could be wiped out entirely within this century, while nearly two-thirds (63 percent) are unaware of beam trawling’s damaging effects to the marine environment.
However, the survey found that consumers want to make ethical buying decisions. When presented with a little information, 70 percent are more likely to seek sustainable seafood, while 51 percent are willing to pay a little more for sustainably sourced seafood.
Waitrose timed the release of the survey results with the theatrical release of “The End of the Line” on 8 June, World Oceans Day. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January, is based on the book about overfishing by former London Telegraph Environment Editor Charles Clover and is billed as “An Inconvenient Truth” for the oceans. Waitrose is promoting the movie on its Web site.
Waitrose implemented its sustainable seafood purchasing policy 12 years ago. The policy includes a ban on overfished and threatened species.
“Given the facts, 70 percent of people want to buy sustainable fish, so it is our responsibility to make that possible,” said Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose. “We’re supporting ‘The End of the Line’ as it is essential this issue is brought to the fore. We want everyone to ask where their fish is coming from to make sure we’re not stealing fish from future generations.”
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