The (un)sustainable game: An exploration of rhetorical strategies and risk communication in sustainable seafood campaigns

Brigitte Dreger-Smylie

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14658003.v1

Abstract

In the 1990s, following the Newfoundland Grand Banks cod fishery collapse along Canada’s East Coast, the first seafood sustainability certification organization was formed to address this widespread crisis. Two notable campaigns were formed shortly thereafter, both programs the projects of marine aquariums along the West Coast, and have gained significant attention: Vancouver Aquarium’s Oceanwise provides seafood recommendations to restaurants on the most sustainable choices and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, creates and disseminates consumer guides. This MRP examines the communication strategies of Seafood Watch and Ocean Wise used to encourage the consumption of sustainable seafood and promote ocean conservation. More specifically, this MRP analyzes the organizations’ use of environmental rhetoric, particularly in terms of framing and topoi, and how they communicate risk and urgency. How sustainable seafood campaigns establish credibility and rationale in the public sphere to communicate urgent, technical information surrounding fishery mismanagement is examined. This research will help inform future guidelines for social marketing campaigns to improve strategy and encourage consumer change. Recommendations for future research include the creation of evaluative programs to measure campaign effectiveness as well as an analysis of the niche markets established through the rising sustainable seafood market.

Highlights

IntroductionNorthern cod was once one of the most numerous fish stocks on the planet (McGrath, 1911)
Yearly catch had increased from 250,000 tonnes to over 800,000; the fishery, and Canada’s maritime economy, was thriving
Two years after the Almighty Cod article was published, a follow-up article appeared in the same magazine spelling out significant losses for the industry; yearly catch had fallen to 1,700 tonnes, a fraction of the industry’s historical greatness, and fisherman were pulling up empty nets all over Atlantic Canada

Summary

Introduction

Northern cod was once one of the most numerous fish stocks on the planet (McGrath, 1911). For over 400 years, the cod fishery was a vibrant, plentiful staple in Canada’s maritime provinces. In the early 1950s, commercial fishing technology began to advance rapidly, increasing yearly landed catch and bringing apparently limitless success to the industry. Yearly catch had increased from 250,000 tonnes to over 800,000; the fishery, and Canada’s maritime economy, was thriving. Two years after the Almighty Cod article was published, a follow-up article appeared in the same magazine spelling out significant losses for the industry; yearly catch had fallen to 1,700 tonnes, a fraction of the industry’s historical greatness, and fisherman were pulling up empty nets all over Atlantic Canada. A moratorium was placed on cod fisheries in 1993, banning all commercial fishing along the coast in an effort to provide opportunity for cod to rebound, but populations failed to recover.

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