In November, we told you about how Fenton Communications (the firm behind the unnecessary “Give Swordfish a Break!” campaign) organized Chefs Collaborative and Environmental Defense to launch an offensive against seafood choice at the behest of a company with close ties to Chefs Collaborative. The swordfish team (Natural Resources Defense Council and SeaWeb) have yet another seafood campaign in the works, this one designed to discourage the consumption of caviar.
In a question and answer section about the new campaign, Fenton claims that “overfishing is fueled largely by the market for Caspian caviar, a luxury product no one really needs and for which there are a number of viable alternatives.” So, these nannies think you shouldn’t enjoy caviar because it’s “a luxury product no one really needs”? What’s the next seafood product they’re going to arbitrarily decide “no one really needs?” Shrimp? Lobster? Scallops?
It’s probably not a coincidence that Whole Foods Market, a Fenton client and supporter of many Fenton fear campaigns (See this Environmental Media Services press release; EMS is a Fenton-run organization.), just announced it is selling a “sustainable alternative to endangered wild sturgeon.” One would have to assume Whole Foods caviar is the “viable alternative” Fenton speaks of.
Another question on the new campaign’s website asks, “Isn’t this just like the Give Swordfish a Break campaign? Have you just moved on to the next species and called for a boycott?” We’ll answer that one. Of course this is just like the Give Swordfish a Break campaign. The real aim of this campaign, like that one, is to drive consumers to purchase their seafood from Fenton clients.
