Co-op says ‘no’ to sword, Chilean sea bass

Federated Co-operatives Ltd. has introduced a seafood-labeling system and removed from its 165 supermarkets in western Canada a number of species threatened by overfishing as part of its new sustainable seafood sourcing program called “Reel in the Solution,” developed through a partnership with SeaChoice.

Over the past year, Co-op has worked with SeaChoice to identify seafood species classified as “avoid” according to SeaChoice’s scientific assessments and, as a results, has pulled from its shelves Atlantic halibut, blue marlin, shark, Chilean sea bass, longlined swordfish, skates, rays and orange roughy. Instead Co-op is encouraging its customers to buy Arctic char, sablefish, steelhead and rainbow trout, Dungeness crab and mussels.

Vancouver-based SeaChoice is consortium of five Canadian conservation organizations that puts out a sustainable seafood buying guide similar to that of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. The popular “traffic light” system is being used by Co-op.

“The Co-operative Retailing System (CRS) and your local Co-op food store care about healthy oceans and sustainable fish stocks,” said Vic Huard, the retailer’s VP of corporate affairs. “With the support and guidance of SeaChoice, we are pleased to introduce the ‘Reel in the Solution’ program as the next step in our commitment to becoming a leader around sustainable fisheries and aquaculture at all levels of the seafood supply chain — from ocean to store to dinner table.”

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