Scampi is extracted in a way that causes “major environmental damage”, claims a charity that has filed a complaint with the UK Competition Authority.
Charity Open Seas is challenging the sustainability of the popular seafood snack and has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate supermarkets claiming the fish is ‘responsibly sourced’.
Open Seas says “major damage” is caused by fishing the seabed with heavy nets when catching langoustines for scampi, and that other marine life caught in the process is often wastefully discarded.
The British Retail Consortium said retailers are “working closely” with suppliers to “ensure products meet customer expectations for sustainability”.
It added: “Retailers are doing everything they can to source scampi responsibly.”
However, Open Seas believes that describing the product as “responsibly sourced” is contrary to CMA guidelines.
“We have raised these concerns with supermarkets, but they continue to sell scampi as ‘responsibly sourced’,” said Nick Underdown, head of campaigns at Open Seas.
CMA guidelines require marketing claims to be both truthful and accurate, and “clear and unambiguous”.
“Consumers should not be misled by products marketed in this way,” Mr Underdown added.
Scampis are sold on the frozen shelves of supermarkets and have become an inexpensive source of protein for many. It is often made from a mixture of different crustaceans, including shrimp and lobsters. The variant covered in breadcrumbs, fried and served with a touch of tartar sauce has become a staple snack in the bar.
But Mr Underdown told the BBC there was “no effective vessel tracking” to reduce the harmful effects of catching langoustines, the group of marine animals that mainly make up the ingredients of scampi.
“There is a monitoring system for ships, but no means to monitor the composition of those catches,” he said, adding that the level of “bycatch” – marine life unknowingly caught in the nets – often small animals and fish may include, which has consequences for the populations. of that kind in the future.
“Taking large quantities of juvenile fish, against scientific advice, is not responsible. Trawling over sensitive marine habitats is not responsible,” Underdown said.
“Companies that do not address these issues are not responsible. The way scampi is produced has all the hallmarks of irresponsible fishing.”
In its complaint to the CMA, Open Seas said supermarkets’ claims that their fishing was “responsible” were ambiguous because the term was “defined by a self-serving industry group without reference to international standards for defining responsible seafood”.
Britain’s largest scampi manufacturer, Whitby Seafoods, says on its website that it is part of an industry-led Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP). Project UK, which oversees the implementation of the FIPs for the industry, is funded by industry players including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Young’s, Lidl, Co-op, Tesco and Whitby Seafoods itself.
But Mr Underdown told the BBC he was “extremely concerned about inaccurate self-reporting and the lack of progress being made by” the FIP for the scampi industry.
The BBC has contacted major supermarkets and suppliers of British scampi.
Morrisons reports this on its site, external that it uses third-party certification to ensure its fisheries are “credible and sustainable”, with 99% of its farmed seafood “certified to the standards of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative”.
says Sainsbury’s meanwhile, external it was the very first retailer to receive several awards, including one from the Marine Stewardships Council. writes M&S, external on its site that she is a member of the Board of Trustees for Fisheries Innovation Scotland and that she actively participates in a number of fisheries improvement projects.
says Young, external it is part of several sustainability organisations, says Tesco, external it collaborates with the nature organization WWF on seafood sustainability goals.
says the Cooperative, external it works with three independent programs to verify the sustainability of its seafood.