News Environment So Much for Fish & Chips: Greenpeace List of Most Over-Fished Species By Kimberley Mok Kimberley Mok Twitter Writer McGill University Cornell University Kimberley Mok is a former architect who has been covering architecture and the arts for Treehugger since 2007. Learn about our editorial process Updated May 7, 2020 This story is part of Treehugger's news archive. Learn more about our news archiving process or read our latest news. Share Twitter Pinterest Email Markus Spiske / Unsplash News Environment Business & Policy Science Animals Home & Design Current Events Treehugger Voices News Archive Rampant overfishing in the high seas and its detrimental effects on marine ecosystems is hardly anything new: with a generous smattering of indications here and there of trouble ahead for the world's oceans, including a relatively recent report warning that without drastic action, all wild seafood could disappear within fifty years. Greenpeace's Campaign Against Overfishing Now, in addition to its highly-publicized and dramatic anti-whaling efforts, Greenpeace has upped the ante by launching a campaign targeting a list of twenty-two over-fished 'red' species currently being sold by suppliers and eaten by consumers. According to their website, the aim is to "start at the source" and confront and stop supermarkets from carrying these endangered species. Some of the species most threatened by overfishing currently include Atlantic Halibut, the Monkfish, all sharks, and Blue Fin Tuna. Other animals not usually associated with the seafood industry are also affected, with inadvertent by-catches claiming loggerhead turtles, sharks, dolphins and whales. "No-where in management plans do we budget for marine mammals, birds and other fish that are killed as by-catch," says Phil Kline, a Greenpeace oceans campaigner, noting that the Alaskan Pollock fisheries for instance has already triggered declines other populations, including the endangered Northern Fur Seal. Five different criteria were used by Greenpeace to identify species in the 'red': first, the status of the fish, whether they are threatened or endangered; second, whether destructive fishing methods are used (such as bottom trawling); third, whether harvesting the fish has negative impact on non-target species through by-catch; fourth, whether fish are caught illegally by unregulated fishing operations (or "pirate fishing"); and fifth, whether the fishery involved negatively impacts on local communities which depend on fishing for their livelihoods. In addition to the 'red list', Greenpeace is also encouraging the designation of 40% of oceans as "no-take" zones (instead of the current 1%) in order to allow fish stocks to recover. The 22 Most Threatened Fish Species Conscientious seafood consumers take note — here are the twenty-two 'red' species: Alaska PollockAtlantic Cod or ScrodAtlantic Halibut (US and Canadian)Atlantic Salmon (wild and farmed)Atlantic Sea ScallopBluefin tunaBig Eye TunaChilean Sea Bass (also sold as Patagonia Toothfish)Greenland Halibut (also sold as Black halibut, Atlantic turbot or Arrowhead flounder)Grouper (imported to the U.S.)Hoki (also known as Blue Grenadier)MonkfishOcean QuahogOrange RoughyRed SnapperRedfish (also sold as Ocean Perch)SharksSkates and RaysSouth Atlantic Albacore TunaSwordfishTropical Shrimp (wild and farmed)Yellowfin Tuna Greenpeace via Mongobay.com