The move comes after months of pressure from environmental groups. In July 2009, the company agreed to stop selling orange roughy. Last month, red snapper disappeared from the shelves. "This is a big deal," said Casson Trenor, senior markets campaigner for Greenpeace. "What we're seeing here is the transformation of what was the U.S. seafood industry's worst nationwide laggard into a company that will likely become an industry leader within the next year or two."

Trader Joe’s, which has established a cost-conscious but eco-friendly brand, has long disappointed sustainable-seafood activists. It was ranked 17 out of 20 retailers, the lowest of any national grocery chain, in Greenpeace's regular review of sustainable seafood policies and practices among major retailers. Based on its new policies, Trader Joe’s is expected to receive a passing grade in the next report, tentatively scheduled for release the week of April 26, Greenpeace said.

Several national retailers have taken steps in recent months to establish or improve their seafood buying policies. In January, Target announced it would replace farmed salmon with the more sustainable Alaskan wild salmon.

Still, work remains to be done, Trenor said. Of the 20 largest supermarket chains in the United States, eight have still made no visible effort to increase the sustainability of their seafood operations, according to the latest report from Greenpeace. These include: Aldi, Costco, Giant Eagle, H.E.B., Meijer, Price Chopper, Publix and Winn Dixie.

-- Jane Black

Source: Washington Post