Campaign slams 'dirty' Sealord tuna

From Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand): Campaign slams 'dirty' Sealord tuna
LATEST: A Greenpeace campaign that took to the air, land and water to condemn tuna fishing has been called "misleading, extreme activism".

Sealord says it is considering taking legal advice following the organisation's early morning antics that saw Auckland city bombarded with hundreds of posters and banners featuring the new Sealord logo and the phrase "Nice logo, bad tuna".

Greenpeace also dressed up the Three Kings water reservoir as a Sealord tuna tin with a sash that said "bad tuna: Sealord tuna is caught unsustainably", which has since been removed. It also sent up a plane towing a banner with the same message.

Oceans campaigner Karli Thomas says: "We're letting consumers know that Sealord is buying its tuna from fishing companies that are needlessly destroying marine life."

"We are taking to the streets to let people know that behind Sealord's new logo is a dirty fishing practice that is recklessly destroying Pacific sealife. Our message to Sealord is change your tuna not just your logo."

More than 100 people have written on Sealord's Facebook page with Greenpeace's "bad tuna" campaign posters and photos.

Typical posts range from "Nice logo, what a shame I won't be admiring it in my pantry" to "we use[d] to be the first in the world to do the right thing... shame on you Sealord, shame on us".

Sealord has responded by asking people not to be "deceived by another example of misleading, extreme activism".

In a press release, general marketing manager David Welsh said: "Sealord tuna is sustainable. Bycatch is very low: 0.16 per cent of catch is sharks and non-tuna species make up one to two per cent.

"The global Dolphin Safe environmental group has condemned this campaign as 'misleading in the extreme'."

He said Greenpeace has refused to join an international group making improvements to tuna fishing and " instead they are attacking New Zealand businesses".

"All food production has impacts, and the fishing industry is lower than most land-based farming."

Communications manager Alison Sykora says she understands outdoor advertising company AdShell is also looking at its legal options after Greenpeace volunteers plastered its hoardings with campaign posters