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Woolworths joins Taronga Zoo in seafood sustainability committment

Taronga Zoo will be helping Woolworths to achieve its goal of ensuring all wild-caught fish is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council by 2015.

The supermarket chain has also agreed to ensure its Select tuna range uses pole- and line-caught stocks by the end of this year, reducing the amount of bycatch including dolphins, sharks and juvenile fish.

Tuna company John West last year copped serious criticism for its use of "destructive" fishing methods, with Greenpeace launching a Reject John West campaign and protestors even congregating outside John West's Melbourne headquarters dressed in shark suits.

John West's website now states that "By 2015 John West will end sourcing tuna from fisheries using methods that current science shows to be unsustainable such as the use of FAD-associated purse seine caught tuna and will only sell tuna caught using environmentally responsible methods, currently defined to include pole and line and unassociated purse seine."

Taronga Zoo's partnership with Woolworths involves a multi-million dollar investment over three years, with Woolworths becoming the principal supporter of Taronga’s Great Southern Oceans precinct. Funds will also directly support a range of the Zoo’s marine protection programs.

Director of Taronga Zoo, Cameron Kerr said "The oceans need our help, and Taronga has long been an advocate for marine conservation. Our Sustainable Seafood campaign has been successful in educating our visitors to make informed choices. By joining with Woolworths, we can empower not just the Zoo visitors, but the 21 million shoppers that walk through Woolworths’ doors each week. I‘m proud of the aims of this important partnership and believe it will make a huge difference to protect marine wildlife."

 

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