A GROWING number of supermarkets and restaurants proudly declare that the fish they sell is 鈥渟ustainable鈥� or 鈥渞esponsibly sourced鈥�. This is a welcome sign that consumers are exercising their marketplace muscle to stop threatened species ending up on their plates. The trouble is that no consensus exists over what these labels mean 鈥� making it hard for consumers to distinguish genuine conservation efforts from dubious practices that hide behind ambiguous phraseology (see 鈥淏eware of 鈥榖luewash鈥�: Which fish should you buy?鈥�). The issue of declining fish stocks is too important to allow these initiatives to be undermined by specious or exaggerated claims, so-called 鈥渂luewashing鈥�. Only sound science will allow marine stewardship groups and governments to thrash out what constitutes a sustainable fishery.
Ditch the dodgy eco-labels
Lack of consistent labelling makes it hard for consumers to tell which conservation efforts are genuine