A heavyweight coalition comprising some of the UK's biggest retailers and seafood suppliers has come together to push for a more sustainable seafood supply chain.

Retailer members of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition include Morrisons, The Co-operative Group, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

They are joined on the supplier side by Birds Eye, Young's Seafood, Icelandic Group and Fish4Ever, as well as the Food & Drink Federation and environmental law organisation ClientEarth.

The group was formed after members became frustrated with the lack of progress in eliminating fish discards and collecting adequate data on the controversial practice.

All members have committed to selling seafood that is currently under-utilised or discarded and to encourage consumers to eat a variety of sustainable seafood.

They have also pledged to ask suppliers to collect catch-and-discard information, to implement measures that will help protect stocks and to agree labelling standards to provide consumers with accurate information on sustainability.

The crises facing UK and European Union fisheries were worsening as legislative tools moved slower than the problems escalated, said James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth.

“This is why members of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition are taking matters into their own hands,” he said. “It is heartening to see industry organisations taking a lead.”

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