Bonjour, it’s Think Fish Week in France!

Today is the launch of La Semaine de la Pêche Responsable, a week-long campaign to encourage French consumers to make an informed choice for certified responsibly farmed and sustainably caught seafood. 

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has joined forces with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for the second year on the annual campaign that highlights how choosing ASC and MSC certified seafood helps protect our oceans and environment and supports the livelihoods of farmers, fishermen and their communities.

Strong partner support drives change in the market

La Semaine de la Pêche Responsable is set for another successful year as most national supermarket chains— and even some brands— have joined the celebration across France through the creation of in-store marketing materials, making it easy for consumers to make the right choice the campaign week and beyond.

French retailer Picard is proudly promoting ASC and MSC thought the children’s drawing contest ‘Doudou des mers’ by inviting children to draw their favourite marine animal for a chance to win a stuffed animal version of their creation. More than 100,000 ‘Doudou des mers’ drawing contests cards will be distributed in 1000 of Picards shops across France.

Carrefour is once again promoting their certified fresh fish counters and extensive selection of certified products. Lidl has announced their commitment to further expand its assortment of certified seafood for 2018  continuing the expansion of their ASC range.

“Thanks to the support and efforts of our partners, the ASC is having a real impact. The number of ASC-labelled products on the French market has increased by an impressive 65 per cent over the last year and, as more people understand the positives of seeking out the label, we hope to see further growth,” said Anne-Marie Kats, ASC’s Commercial Marketing Manager for Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Collaboration to foster sector wide responsible development 

This year’s edition is particularly exciting, as the ASC and MSC have joined forces with a third organisation, l’Institut océanographique Fondation Albert 1er, Prince de Monaco, extending the campaign’s reach to the Institute’s vast network of institutional partners in France.

During a conference at the Maison des Océans in Paris on Thursday 22^nd February, the  importance of sustainable development in the fish supply chain will be discussed with the general public. Industry representatives from Carrefour and Euronor will explain what the companies’ commitments are to preserving aquatic resources and how they contribute on a daily basis to driving best practices through their operation and importance of sustainable development in the fish supply chain will be discussed with the general public.

The three organisations have contributed to the development of an informative newspaper aimed to inspire students and aquarium visitors to learn about certification and the origin of the seafood they consume through articles, games and even horoscopes.

The message at the core of la Semaine de la Pêche Responsable is also amplified by social media through the online quiz What fish are you?, teasing consumers to find out what fish personality they have while promoting ASC and MSC certified seafood.