Eat Fish Well. Truly Sustainable Seafood From Fish4Ever

Netflix Seaspiracy documentary review – and the alternative ending worth exploring
 

“It’s no secret that the new Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, about the commercial fishing industry, is aimed to shock.

And shocking, the stats unquestionably are:

Today, around 2.7 trillion fish are caught every year, up to five million killed every minute, by commercial fishing fleets. The largest trawl nets are so large they could swallow whole cathedrals and they devastate 3.9 billion acres of seafloor, annually. Fishing in this way leads to huge amount of bycatch: 11,000-30,000 sharks, alone, are killed every hour. Human labour comes cheap, modern slavery is endemic and almost 24,000 workers die – or are killed – every year.
 

This video explains the damaging effects of traditional fishing methods on the marine ecosystem
 

Sadly, these are not new stories. Charles Clover’s 2009 film the End of the Line highlights many of these issues. The dolphin slaughter in Japan was exposed in another 2009 documentary: The Cove. The sections on illegal fishing and slave labour, from shrimps in Thailand to artisan fishermen off the coast of West Africa, come straight out of the video and advocacy work of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

So, how is this allowed to continue? The reality, as the film explores, is that the industry is propped up by $35 billion of government subsidies and ‘sustainability’ labels aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.
 

Fish4Ever: Line caught fishing in the Azores
 

Seaspiracy: the good
 

On many issues, Fish4Ever is aligned with Seaspiracy.

Fish4Ever were the first canned fish company to sign up to The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the blue tick supported by retailers and brands the world over. They then became probably the only brand to leave when it became clear to them that: “they’re not looking at solving the problem, they’re looking at exploiting the problem,” as the film puts it.

They've spent futile years fighting what is regarded as the deliberate misinformation and greenwashing the MSC represents. Fish4Ever's founder was even an expert witness at the UK House of Parliament special inquiry on the marine environment against the MSC. 

Around 80% of MSC’s almost £30m income comes from licensing brands. So, their principles, on this point too, have come at a huge disadvantage to our business, when consumers are advised time-and-time again that this is the label to look for. 

Tuna features hugely in the film. 

Fish4Ever tuna chunks intentionally don’t have the Dolphin Friendly or the MSC logos
 

Seaspiracy: the bias
 

It becomes clear the film’s purpose is to argue that there is no such thing as sustainable fishing; all fishing is bad and there are no distinctions. 

It’s not a balanced documentary showing all sides of the fishing industry and allowing the viewers to make up their minds.
 

The Seaspiracy alternative ending: genuinely sustainable fishing
 

There’s another solution to the “don’t eat fish” message of Seaspiracy and that is to “eat well-fished fish”.

It is undoubtedly harder to find. It definitely demands more work on the consumer’s side and asks them to cut through the rampant greenwashing of the sustainability industry.    
 

Fish4Ever: small-scale fishing with a big impact
 

But, we know it exists because Fish4Ever have spent the past 20 years ensuring their brand proves it’s possible. This is despite the fact the odds were stacked against them. This is even though profit margins aren’t as big as they could be, because they prioritise the true cost. As such, you can be confident in the assertions that their fish comes with:

• No bycatch
• No impact on the sea floor
• No endangered species caught or affected: dolphins, whales, sharks – are all untouched by us
• No illegal fishing
• No slave labour, no human rights abuses: we support local boats and fishing communities
• No dodgy ingredients or chemicals – and quite a lot of organic ones

Let's support the ones who are really making a difference. The small guy on the small boat trying to make an honest living is already at a massive disadvantage. If the ethical consumer drops out, all that’s left is non-ethical consumers. They’ll carry on buying supposedly ‘dolphin friendly’ tuna and our products will disappear.

Together, we can educate our customers on the true price of sustainability, and help them to make the right choice.

Watch this video for a great explanation of the damage traditional fishing methods can do to the marine eco-system.
 

Fish4Ever is a B Corp certified, truly sustainable canned fish company. For more than 20 years, Fish4Ever has brought the idea of organic values to fish sustainability. With lines like the Fairtrade Certified Yellowfin Tuna, you can be confident when you shop Fish4Ever.