According to international scientific experts, fish will disappear from our oceans sometime between 2040 and 2050. In Europe, 50% of seafood is consumed in restaurants.
In the face of the devastating levels of excessive fishing seeking to meet growing demand, the members of our international Association unanimously signed up to the following six commitments at the Relais & Châteaux congress on 17 November 2009:
1. The Relais & Châteaux members are aware of the problem of dwindling halieutic resources.
2. The Relais & Châteaux members are conscious of the role they can play in protecting resources as professional purchasers of seafood.
3. The Relais & Châteaux members undertake to procure sustainable seafood (stocks in good condition, sexually mature seafood, ocean-friendly fishing methods).
4. The Relais & Châteaux members undertake to communicate their choices to consumers (origin of proposed species…).
5. The Relais & Châteaux members undertake to no longer serve endangered species and to gradually remove them from their menus in the course of 2010.
6. Given the urgent situation concerning red tuna (Atlantic and Mediterranean), the Relais & Châteaux members undertake to no longer serve this species from 1 January 2010.
In this way the Relais & Châteaux members recognise the major role they can play in protecting resources as key prescribers in the choice of species they purchase. Relais & Châteaux cooperates with the Seafood Choices Alliance, a benchmark international non-governmental organisation in this field, seeking to secure sustainable seafood supplies.
