A landmark legal ruling from the European Court of Justice has heightened scrutiny on supermarkets over their sourcing of tuna linked to destructive fishing practices.
The court sided with ocean conservation NGOs Blue Marine Foundation and Bloom Association, which challenged the European Commission’s 2023 decision to block a fisheries measure aimed at reducing the use of drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Indian Ocean.
The court found that the Commission “actively blocked” key conservation efforts and must now review its decision.
This sets a precedent for greater accountability and legal scrutiny of EU environmental actions, with Blue Marine describing it as a major step forward for ocean protection.
“This judgment has implications that reach well beyond marine protection,” said Priyal Bunwaree, Senior Legal Counsel at Blue Marine. “It marks a significant step forward for access to justice in environmental matters.”
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Drifting FADs, floating devices used to attract tuna, are heavily criticised for contributing to overfishing, bycatch and plastic pollution.
A study found 1.41 million drifting FADs were deployed globally between 2007 and 2021, impacting over a third of the ocean surface.
Despite being warned of the environmental harms, most UK supermarkets continue to sell brand-name tuna caught using drifting FADs.
Blue Marine’s 2023 report, The UK’s Tuna Blind Spot, revealed that while retailers often avoid these methods in their own-label products, many still stock tuna from brands which continue to rely on drifting FADs.
“UK consumers are being misled by supermarket sustainability claims,” said Jess Rattle, Head of Investigations at Blue Marine.
Marks & Spencer stands out as the only major UK retailer fully committed to avoiding drifting FADs across all its tuna products.
Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S Food, said: “All the tuna found in our products is line caught and we don’t allow the use of drifting man-made structures.”
Consumer polling found that 59% of people would not buy fish if they knew it was caught unsustainably.
Many reported confusion over labelling and distrust in retailer claims.
“This is a significant battle won in the long war against mindlessly destructive overfishing,” said Blue Marine CEO Clare Brook. “Until supermarkets take action, British consumers continue to unknowingly buy tuna caught using harmful fishing practices.”
EU court adds pressure on supermarkets over unsustainable tuna appeared first on Energy Live News.