Greenpeace blocks seafood freezer at Metro store in Hamilton

In all, 26 Greenpeace activists confronted store management in Hamilton, Chicoutimi, Que. and Surrey, B.C. The goal is to convince the major chains to stop selling Redlist species—seafood that is the most threatened by over-harvesting.

Hamilton action

Greenpeace activists entered the Metro store at 845 King Street West and:

• suspended a large banner that read: “Don’t Buy, Don’t Sell Redlist Fish,” and
• blocked access to a large seafood freezer with chains, a shopping cart filled with Redlist species and yellow Oceans Crime Scene tape.

The store notified local police but allowed activists to remain for most of the shopping day. They talked to customers and local media about Metro’s failure to implement a policy that would allow future generations to enjoy healthy, sustainable seafood. No arrests were made.

Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner Beth Hunter went in with a volunteer dressed as a blue fin tuna. She gave the store’s manager and a Metro vice-president a copy of the new Greenpeace report, Out of Stock, Out of Excuses: Ranking retailers on seafood sustainability. She also expressed her concern over the number of Redlist species that this particular Metro store had on sale.

Actions lead to progress with Metro

Greenpeace has conducted activities at four Metro stores during the campaign.

Metro, ranked last of all Canadian supermarkets, has agreed to meet with Greenpeace to discuss a better, more sustainable relationship with our oceans.

Other activities on day five

In addition to the nine activists at the Metro store in Hamilton, nine activists demonstrated in Chicoutimi and eight in Surrey.

The activists:
•    handed out pamphlets,
•    set up banners,
•    wore fish costumes, and
•    talked with customers.

Find out more: Get involved in the campaign

The campaign to confront supermarkets in 19 cities in five provinces supports the release of a new Greenpeace report that ranks Canada’s supermarket chains. They are all failing to ensure that all seafood they sell is caught or farmed sustainably.

The online campaign

Online tools have been developed to encourage Canadians to demand that their supermarkets do more to protect seafood and the oceans 

The new report, Out of Stock, Out of Excuses: Ranking retailers on seafood sustainability shows how all the chains are accomplices in seafood loss.

Read more about the release of the new report

Online tools provide customers with information on how to contact their supermarket chain and ask it to help protect seafood and the world’s oceans.