26 Apr 2012

UN / SEAFOOD QUALITY

Carrie Brownstein, Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator for Whole Foods Market announced today that coinciding with Earth Day 2012 the supermarket chain will no longer carry fish that has been labeled unsustainable by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and the Blue Ocean Institute. UNTV

Posted at: April 26, 2012 5:35 pm

Duration: 01:48

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / SEAFOOD QUALITY
TRT: 1.48
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 26 APRIL 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

26 APRIL 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Med shot, journalist
4.  SOUNDBITE (English) Carrie Brownstein, Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator, Whole Foods Market:
"Whole Foods Market is a values driven company and one of our core values is to take care of the environment. And this is why as of Earth Day 2012 we have committed to no longer sell wild caught seafood that's rated red by our partner organizations Blue Ocean Institute and Monterrey Bay Aquarium. A red rating means that there are serious problems with overfishing and the fish is caught in ways that harm habitats or other marine life."
5. Med shot, journalist
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Carrie Brownstein, Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator, Whole Foods Market:
"At the end of the day, it's not just about Whole Foods Market, it is about having more abundant oceans so that people worldwide can be nourished by and enjoy seafood and so that ultimately we can have healthy ecosystems."
7. Med shot, journalist
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Hudson, Head, UNDP Water & Ocean Governance Programme and Coordinator, UN-Oceans:
"Fisheries are a major piece of the global economy. Fisheries are a major source of jobs for people both in the developing and the developed world, and fish are a major piece of the global environment that we have to pay very close attention if we want to maintain a healthy and productive ocean going forward."
9. Med shot, photographer
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Kurlansky, bestselling author:
"Consumers are really hungry for information. They want to make good choices and it is very hard. It's a very complicated issue and it's hard to understand. I would urge, you know, all fish stores to do this, and I would also urge all fish stores, including Whole Foods, to better educate the people selling fish."
12.	Wide shot, dais

STORYLINE:

The United States-based supermarket chain Whole Foods Market announced today (26 April) that as of Earth Day 2012 (22 April) it has stopped carrying red-rated wild seafood.

At a press conference in New York, Carrie Brownstein, who is the Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator at Whole Foods Market highlighted that the supermarket chain is a "values driven company" and said that taking care of the environment is one of its "core values."

She explained that a red rating "means that there are serious problems with overfishing and the fish is caught in ways that harm habitats or other marine life."

The chain, which has outlets throughout North America and the United Kingdom, will carry only wild-caught seafood from fisheries certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, or green (best choice) or yellow (good alternative) species rated.

Brownstein pointed out that "at the end of the day, it's not just about Whole Foods Market, it is about having more abundant oceans so that people worldwide can be nourished by and enjoy sea food and so that ultimately we can have healthy ecosystems."

Overfishing and conservation of marine biodiversity are among the key issues to be tackled this June at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

Approximately 85 per cent of the world's fish stocks are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. According to UN estimates, the world economy can gain up to US$ 50 billion annually by restoring fish stocks and reducing fishing capacity to an optimal level.

The Head of the United Nations Developing Programme's (UNDP) Water & Ocean Governance Programme and Coordinator, (UN-Oceans) stressed that fisheries are "a major piece of the global economy" and "a major source of jobs for people both in the developing and the developed world".

He added that fish "are a major piece of the global environment that we have to pay very close attention if we want to maintain a healthy and productive ocean going forward."

The world's marine fisheries are socially and economically vital, providing animal protein and supporting food security for over one billion people. Currently, the world's fisheries deliver annual profits of about US$8 billion to fishing enterprises worldwide and support 170 million jobs, directly and indirectly, providing some US$ 35 billion in household income a year.

Also speaking at the same press conference, bestselling author Mark Kurlansky said that "consumers are really hungry for information" but making informed decisions "is very hard" given the complexity of the issues.

He urged more fish stores to follow Whole Foods' lead also urged "all fish stores, including Whole Foods, to better educate the people selling fish" in order to better inform the public.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), greening the sector requires reorienting public spending to strengthen fisheries management, and financing a reduction of excess capacity through de-commissioning vessels and equitably relocating employment in the short-term.

A single investment of US$ 100-300 billion would reduce excessive capacity. In addition, it should result in an increase in fisheries catch from the current 80 million tonnes a year to 90 million tonnes in 2050, despite a drop in the next decade as fish stocks recover.