Greenpeace activists in New Zealand have unleashed an attack on tuna fishing that has been labeled “misleading, extreme activism.”
Auckland city was covered in posters and banners bearing the Sealord logo and the phrase “Nice logo, bad tuna,” local media reports.
Protestors also dressed up the Three Kings water reservoir as a Sealord tuna tin with a sash that said "bad tuna: Sealord tuna is caught unsustainably.”
There was also a plane towing a banner with the same phrase.
Oceans campaigner Karli Thomas defended the Greenpeace actions, saying the company is damaging native habitats.
"We’re letting consumers know that Sealord is buying its tuna from fishing companies that are needlessly destroying marine life,” he said.
"We are taking to the streets to let people know that behind Sealord’s new logo is a dirty fishing practice that is recklessly destroying Pacific sealife.
“Our message to Sealord is change your tuna not just your logo."
Over 100 people have written on Sealord’s Facebook page with Greenpeace’s "bad tuna" campaign posters and photos.
Sealord response has been to encourage people not to be "deceived by another example of misleading, extreme activism".
"Sealord tuna is sustainable,” general marketing manager David Welsh said in a statement.
“Bycatch is very low: 0.16 per cent of catch is sharks and non-tuna species make up one to two per cent.
"The global Dolphin Safe environmental group has condemned this campaign as ‘misleading in the extreme’."
Welsh added that Greenpeace has refused to join an international group making improvements to tuna fishing and "instead they are attacking New Zealand businesses".
"All food production has impacts, and the fishing industry is lower than most land-based farming."
Earlier this month two Greenpeace activists who destroyed some genetically-modified wheat crops in Canberra were ordered to face court for the attack, which according to CSIRO scientist Jeremy Burden was “in the order of $300 000.”
Image: stuff.co.nz