National grocery chain Kroger (NYSE: KR) will stop selling marlin, shark and bluefin tuna - all endangered - under an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and will work with the non-profit organization to develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced wild seafood.
WWF will assist Kroger in assessing current sourcing of the company's top 20 wild-caught seafood species in order to develop a sustainable seafood sourcing strategy. The goal is to sell only seafood from certified sources by 2015.
The grocer is pulling marlin, shark and bluefin tuna from its cases completely in an effort to preserve these over-fished species.
WWF said it will help Kroger lead the discussion with the company's source fisheries to improve practices across the supply chain and encourage these fisheries to pursue higher sustainability standards in the trade and harvesting of seafood. This process includes evaluating Marine Stewardship Council certification for wild species.
"As one of the largest traditional food retailers in the U.S., Kroger can play an important role in transforming the way seafood is harvested," said Bill Fox, Vice President and Managing Director of WWF's fisheries program. "It is through collaborations like this that we can achieve important conservation goals to protect our oceans and ensure that retailers like Kroger can rely on a continued supply of seafood products into the future."
Kroger will also work with WWF to support and be engaged in the Aquaculture Dialogues, an ongoing series of roundtables working to minimize the key environmental and social aspects associated with aquaculture.
