Wildlife Britain urges you to think twice before buying prawns in the future. Traditionally, a plea like this would be made for the survival of the species concerned, but in this case, things are a little different.
Prawn trawlers catch 10-20 kg of marine species to obtain just 1 kg of prawns in the tropics. That means that up to 20 kg of other marine animals such as fish, sea snakes, turtles, and sea horses, are caught at the same time. This non-target 'bycatch' is usually discarded, dead or dying, overboard. Just for 1 kg of prawns.
Prawn fisheries alone are responsible for one third of the world's discarded catch, despite producing less than 2% of global seafood. Local fish stocks and fishing grounds are heavily impacted, and catches have declined sharply in areas where trawlers operate. Furthermore, 150,000 sea turtles are killed by prawn trawlers every year, and prawn trawling is thought to be the greatest threat to seahorses. Research has shown that up to 25% of seabed life can be removed by the pass of just one prawn trawl.
Prawns/shrimps are small 'crustaceans' (like crabs and lobsters) found in both marine and fresh water environments around the world. Two main groups of prawn are produced commercially: the smaller varieties come mainly from temperate waters, whereas larger prawns are generally found in the tropics. The distinction between prawns and shrimps can be confusing. In some countries the bigger species are referred to as 'prawns' and smaller species as 'shrimp'. In other parts of the world (such as some areas of the USA), this differentiation is the other way around.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (a UK-based non-profit organisation that works to protect the natural environment and the people and wildlife that depend upon it) is calling for all supermarkets to prove their prawns come from environmentally and socially sustainable sources, urging consumers not to buy any prawns until this is done.
'Currently 70% of the world's fisheries are fully or overexploited and leading scientists agree that it is fishing - rather than global warming or pollution - that poses the greatest near-term threat to marine biodiversity', says Steve Trent, Director of EJF. Recent reports of overfishing and declines in fish stocks have begun to shatter the illusion that the seas are a limitless, inexhaustible resource. Yet few people are currently aware that prawn trawling is one of the most destructive and wasteful fisheries of all. 'This waste, to feed a luxury market here in the UK and other developed nations, is totally unacceptable when so many in poorer countries are going hungry. Just how much is the rest of the world paying for our prawn sandwiches?' says Trent.
Trawling is a 'catch-all' technique. Trawlers capture approximately three million tonnes of prawns every year from countries as diverse as Greenland, Venezuela and Mozambique. Vessels not only catch high-value prawns, but also hundreds of other 'bycatch' species that are usually discarded back into the sea. It is not uncommon to find that 10, or even 20 kg, of marine organisms are caught in order to obtain 1 kg of prawns. For species such as sea turtles and seahorses, prawn trawling represents the greatest threat to their survival. A staggering 150,000 sea turtles are killed in prawn trawlers every year. Trawl nets dragged along the seabed profoundly degrade marine habitats. This degradation of the ocean floor has been compared by scientists to the destruction of the world's forests.
Local fish stocks and fishing grounds are also affected and catches have declined sharply in areas where trawlers operate. Prawn trawlers are not always locally owned. Hundreds of foreign vessels exploit prawn stocks of developing countries, illegally or through fisheries agreements, discarding 'unwanted' fish that could have fed coastal communities. 'For the 450 million people reliant on fisheries as a source of food and income, fish is a necessity. Prawn fisheries are directly compromising food security as well as furthering the demise of endangered marine species' said Annabelle Aish of EJF. In many cases these foreign trawlers are heavily subsidised: some EU fleets are underwritten by almost 50% to trawl for prawns in African waters.
The UN Environment Programme, Global Environment Facility and UN Food and Agricultural Organisation have all stated that many prawn fisheries are presently unsustainable and advocate changes to current patterns of exploitation. 'Harmful fishing subsidies and exploitative fisheries agreements with developing nations completely undermine the sustainable use of the oceans and need to be addressed immediately' said Aish. EJF calls for the greater implementation of existing international treaties on responsible fisheries management. EJF also calls for an independent, internationally-recognised system of certification and monitoring for prawn production.
The EU is the largest importer of prawns globally; 378,375 MT (metric tons) were imported in 2000. The UK was the third greatest importer of prawns within the EU in 2000. In 2000, the UK landed 2100 MT of prawns. In the same year, the UK imported 77,900 MT of prawns (fished and farmed) worth US$540 million. Domestic production (trawled prawns) typically accounts for 2-3% of consumption in the UK. Iceland, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Norway and Indonesia are all major exporters of prawns to the UK.
Prawn trawling is threatening food security in some of the world's poorest countries. In Africa, prawn trawlers from several different countries (including EU nations) come to take advantage of the (previously) abundant waters. Trawling occurs over sensitive ecosystems, reduces local fish stocks and destroys fishing gears of subsistence fishermen. This loss of livelihood and food is unacceptable.
Many governments maintain unprofitable prawn trawling fleets. It is estimated that an annual total of $76 - $80 billion is spent on fishing subsidies globally. Ultimately, this leads to over-exploitation: prawn-fishing fleets are not reduced in size as their catches decrease.
Trawling has always been a controversial fishing technique. As early as the 14th century there were protests in Europe over its potential effects on the seabed and creatures living there. Sophisticated trawling equipment and navigation systems have been developed to supply prawns to growing markets. This, in turn, has ensured that no potentially productive areas are left untrawled.
Some prawn trawlers target deep-sea bottoms, others prefer very shallow coastal waters of 10-60 m depth. All have impacts on the seabed by degrading vital marine habitats.
In most countries, prawn stocks are declining under heavy fishing pressure. Yet, fishermen continue to trawl for prawns harder than ever in an attempt to overcome low catches, rising fishing costs and competition from prawn farmers. This results in the severe over-exploitation of marine ecosystems.
Prawn farming (aquaculture) is not a sustainable alternative to prawn trawling. In fact, prawn aquaculture is responsible for equally devastating environmental destruction and human rights abuses.
To read the EJF's full report, please visit
www.ejfoundation.org/pdfs/squandering_the_seas.pdf.
Sainsbury's response to Wildlife Britain regarding this issue extended only as far as to point out that counter-sold fish are identified by their country of capture, that they believe their farmed fish and shellfish are "from sustainable sources" and that cold-water prawns are sourced from Iceland and Canada under "a very strict quota system." However, this statement does not address any of the issues regarding the method of capture, the issue of bycatch, over-trawling, or marine habitat damage.
None of the other UK supermarkets were prepared to make a statement to Wildlife Britain.
