Greenpeace kicked off the campaign at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World in Auckland and released a ‘Red Fish’ guide listing the 12 most at-risk oceans species such as orange roughy, tuna and arrow squid. It is part of a successful international consumer campaign being run by Greenpeace that’s already seen supermarkets throughout Europe and the US removing unsustainable species such as orange roughy from shelves.
Carmen Gravatt, Greenpeace Campaign Manager, told that the oceans, fish and fishing are part of what it means to be a Kiwi. He also added that it just to protect the oceans and protect the fish species so us and our kids can enjoy the classic Kiwi hobby, fishing. It is said that all the species listed in the Greenpeace guide are at high risk of having been sourced from overfished stocks, having been caught using destructive fishing methods, or both.
Gravatt indicates that like all oceans around the world, New Zealand’s oceans are in deep trouble, and it’s because a handful of industrial fisheries are overfishing our fish stocks or using destructive catch methods. He continues that industrial fisheries are ultimately fishing themselves into extinction and in the process are ruining it for every New Zealander.
The campaign has motto that if New Zealanders want to continue to eat -let alone sell -fish, they need to safeguard our fisheries by putting an end to destructive fishing. Having reserves helps protect its seas from the ravages of climate change, restores the health of fish stocks, and protects ocean life from habitat destruction and collapse.
