Following the announcement by Pret a Manger chief, Julian Metcalfe, that he was taking tuna caught in unsustainable ways out of sandwiches and sushi, supermarket chain Marks and Spencer has claimed that it is switching to using pole and line caught tuna in its entire food range.
Greta Scacchi and her daughter Leila sitting with Alan Rickman, his wife Rima and Colin Firth at the aftershow party for The End of the Line
Both announcements follow screenings of the film, The End of the Line, based on a book by the environmental journalist, Charles Clover, which highlights the problems facing the largest tuna species, the bluefin.
Marks and Spencer is one of the country’s largest retailers of sandwiches and the shift is likely to place pressure on other retailers to make the change.
A spokesman said: “As all of our food is own-brand, it means there will be absolutely no products in our stores that use tuna which isn’t pole and line caught.”
Marie Helvin with Patsy Kensit, Angela Dunn, Tina Hobley and friend at the party
Catching fish with pole and line cuts out the vast bycatch of other vulnerable fish species, together with turtles, dolphins and whales, associated with catching tuna in purse-seine nets.
The announcement came after screenings of The End of the Line at 50 cinemas across the country, many of which sold out and were sponsored by supermarket chain Waitrose.
Greta Scacchi, the actress, held a private screening of the film and a party at a City restaurant as she launched a campaign for sustainable fishing, inspired by the documentary.
She was joined by a host of celebrities, including Alan Rickman, Vivienne Westwood, Patsy Kensit, Marie Helvin, Tina Hobley and Colin Firth.
Charles and Pamela Clover (left) Vivienne Westwood with Charles Dance and Greta Scacchi (right)
Scacchi and a number of friends have had themselves photographed naked with fish by the photographer Rankin to further the campaign.
She said: “I insisted that I got the biggest fish - a cod from Iceland.”
Patsy Kensit and her new husband Jeremy Healy (left) and Colin Firth and his wife (right)
She wants her fellow celebrities to avoid restaurants that serve endangered fish and to favour establishments such as Soseki, owned by Caroline Bennett and Nicholas Rohl, which has worked hard to develop a sushi menu involving only responsibly-sourced fish.
ALL PICTURES BY LONDON IMAGE
-Chain Restaurants in particular have little idea of where
the sources for their menu are, i.e.: “The Ocean” quote-unquote!
-Whatever they can lay their hands on even when it comes from
Indonesia which contain mercury!
-I had to quit chain store meals because of rising
whole blood mercury!
All fish caught should by law be landed. Dead fish should not be thrown back into the sea. Quotas should be able to be adjusted to take account of reality and fishermen not alowed to throw back perfectly good fish just to then catch a bigger amout of specific types.
They can’t select just what they want from a mixed shoal and need to decide what and where to fish in a regulared sensible way.
I would hat to be a fisherman. They are very brave and common sense should prevail.
Dear Ms Scacchi….and Charles!
Thank you for your leadership and well done!
I will follow the developments and momentum of this avidly.
When will it be featured on the BBC’s Talking Movies, I must catch that!
A few years since the Chicago Seafood Summit eh Charles but WELL DONE!
Warmest wishes
Katherine
Thank goodness for M&S! I really hope the other large retailers follow soon! Better labelling needed as well!
This is great news! Now is not the time for point scoring, it is the time for concerted action and its good to see the club is getting bigger. Who is next?
Quentin Clark
Senior Buyer Poultry Fish and Eggs - Waitrose
I agree fully with the campaign which is trying to promote pole and line caught fish suppliers. the methods deployed to catch the fish is devastating. I am in full support of Marks & Spencer’s choice to only stock pole and line caught fish and will from now on think twice before i buy fish in supermarkets. that story was very dramatic and informative and meant alot to me. i thank everyone who has helped to put this documentary together and am hoping for more insights into this catastrophe.
from
Mr Isaac Slusarczyk
Dear Mrs. Scacchis,
I have been in touch with Mr. Rupert Murray about a film premier in Mallorca Spain. I would like to contact you by email to be able to propose a screening in our Aquarium together with a celebrity cocktail.
Thanking you in advance,
kind regards
Debora Morrison, Community education manager.