24 August 2022

Press Release

For immediate release

Ignore global impacts of UK seafood consumption “at our peril” - WWF

New report offers first ever analysis of combined nature, climate and social impacts of UK seafood production and consumption, revealing a mixed picture of risks across key species groups.
WWF says certification schemes for sustainable seafood are only a “first step”, not an end point for efforts to put the sector on a sustainable footing.
UK governments urged to play their part by setting core environmental standards for all food sold in the UK, including seafood.

WWF is calling for an urgent effort to strengthen regulation of the seafood sector as its latest report exposes the combined nature, climate and social impacts of current UK seafood production and consumption.

Risky Seafood Business, published today, has for the first time quantified the total volume of the seafood eaten by people in the UK. In 2019 this measured 887,000 tonnes – equivalent to 5.2 billion portions of fish and chips by weight – over 80% of which was fished or farmed outside of UK waters.

Looking at the supply chains of 33 species groups in UK waters and across the world, the conservation organisation looked at how 'risky' UK seafood production and consumption of these species is - from their impact on ecosystems to climate and social impacts.

The report found that some species groups like mussels and sardines carry relatively low risk compared to species groups like swordfish and tuna, which were assessed as high risk across multiple areas, including climate and ecosystem impacts.

Across all species groups, the report finds that more than 250 Endangered, Threatened and Protected species, from whales and dolphins to seabirds and sharks, have been directly impacted by fisheries and aquaculture around the world, supplying UK markets. The conservation organisation is calling for a “concerted and collaborative effort” from UK governments and businesses to address these issues, and to ensure 100% of the seafood produced and consumed in the UK comes from sustainable sources by 2030.

While recognising that progress has been made to develop and strengthen certification schemes for seafood, the study shows that problems persist, not least due to the complex supply chains for seafood imports to the UK.

Kate Norgrove, Executive Director of Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF, said:

“The ocean is the blue heart of our planet and we ignore its health at our peril. Protecting this precious resource should be the top priority of every single fishery around the world, yet for too long unsustainable practices have gone unchecked, draining the ocean of life.

“Moves to strengthen certification for sustainable seafood across the supply chain are a vital first step but they are not an end point.

“Along with efforts from retailers to improve transparency across global seafood supply chains, establishing core environmental standards for all food sold in the UK – including seafood – would have a transformative impact. We urge the UK Government to play its part and take that step.”

Alongside calling for action from UK governments, for example to strengthen regulations tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and set core environmental standards for seafood imports, WWF is calling for retailers to adopt the “Seascape” approach that puts the health of ocean ecosystems at the heart of their sourcing policies to improve fisheries management, including offering more diverse seafood choices to consumers.

According to the report, seafood that carries a lower environmental and social impact could offer a relatively sustainable source of protein. Estimates suggest that, if managed sustainably, global seafood production could increase by 36-74% by 2050[1] - this will be essential if UK seafood consumption increases further, in line with national dietary recommendations.

ENDS

Images available here: https://we.tl/t-AGIJQPhhxH

The full report is available here.
The summary is available here.
Seafood refers to fish, shellfish and other types of edible aquatic life (marine and freshwater) consumed by people, produced by wild-caught fisheries or aquaculture farms.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2616-y
In 2019, UK seafood consumption – by weight – was equivalent to 5.2 billion portions of fish and chips. [Figure calculated on the basis that one portion of fish and chips is approximately 170g (according to recommendation from Seafish and AHDB). Therefore, 887,000 tonnes is equivalent to approximately 5.2 billion portions of fish and chips.]
Whitefish, like haddock and cod, accounted for almost a third of the of fish consumed (29%) in the UK in 2019.
The vast majority (81%) of seafood consumed in the UK in 2019 was imported.
The report looks across 10 indicators to determine the environmental and social footprint of the production and consumption of key species, including the status of the populations in major fisheries, ecosystem impacts, endangered, threatened and protected species impacts and sustainability certification progress, amongst others. This analysis is applied to both wild capture and aquaculture supply chains, and gives a risk rating for the major seafood species produced and consumed in the UK.
The UK’s demand for seafood has directly affected at least 253 at-risk species– which have been killed, discarded or otherwise harmed in UK seafood supply chains. Overall, across the fisheries that supply UK seafood, more than 500 endangered, threatened or protected species have been found to be potentially at risk of harm.

WWF is calling for UK governments to:

Develop a set of core environmental standards for imported seafood alongside those for agricultural products to help deliver a strong and comprehensive sustainable food strategy.
Set meaningful and measurable targets for UK domestic seafood production to meet the objectives of the Fisheries Act and to ensure fish stocks are healthy, fishing does not exceed sustainable limits, the recovery of ETP species by implementing of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras, protection of biodiversity and seafood production progresses towards Net Zero.
Strengthen the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing regulations to develop due diligence requirements for imported seafood (similar to deforestation risk commodities) and demonstrate leadership in international fisheries management and trade forums.
Provide financial support, for example through the UK’s Blue Planet Fund, to developing countries and the UK Seafood Fund for UK producers like fishers and fish farmers to help reduce their seafood production footprint and support technical innovations.

WWF is calling for UK businesses to:

Adopt the Seascape approach of the WWF Basket that beyond certifications with time-bound and publicly available targets to reduce seafood footprints, including through promoting low footprint seafood consumption and investing in regional seafood processing facilities.
Work with supply chains including catching and fish farming sectors to close traceability gaps of their products to reduce IUU fishing risks and increase transparency of fishmeal and fish oil used in feed.
Publicly disclose sustainability information on seafood species sold to inform consumer choices.
Advocate for improvements to government regulations, third-party certification schemes and support seafood producers on technological innovations to reduce seafood footprint.

WWF recommends that UK consumers:

Opt for lower footprint seafood choices where possible, particularly locally produced seafood to decrease the demand for imported seafood.
Follow WWF’s ‘top tips’1 on seafood consumption, including more diverse and low trophic species like sardines, to reduce pressure on more popular choices.
Support calls for more stringent core environmental standards for imported food and improved labelling requirements, including for seafood.

This publication has been produced with funding from WWF’s partnership with M&S (a partner in the Seascape approach)