Waitrose follows Pret tuna move with ban on swordfish

Waitrose has banned the sale of swordfish in its stores because it cannot find a sustainable source for the fish.

The decision comes in the wake of sandwich chain Pret a Manger saying it would only sell skipjack tuna because of depleting stocks of the bluefin and yellowfin varieties it uses.

Waitrose suspended swordfish sales in January when organisations such as the Marine Conservation Society warned that stocks of the fish were too low to ensure future supply.

The supermarket said it was also concerned that the hooks commonly used to catch swordfish posed a deadly threat to sea turtles, which are endangered in many parts of the world.

Until an ethical source of swordfish is found, Waitrose will replace the fish with mahi-mahi, a sustainable white fish that breeds and matures quickly, enabling stocks to replenish.

Waitrose senior fish buyer Quentin Clark said: "We're simply not happy to sell fish that could be endangered."

TV chef Anthony Worrall Thompson today said: "Places like Waitrose and Pret taking these choices will have an effect, but such decisions could come further up the chain - the Government could do more.

"Current fishing laws and quota levels are an absolute nonsense."