Shark and Marine Conservation   Sharkwater debut at UK cinemas L'Oreal - Because Shark's are Worth It! Horrid day at Harrods Ocean's twelve Calendar girl takes top shot Making a killing out of sharks Keeping the faith Dead in the water Oceanic whitetip closer to extinction Bite-Back serves up shark victory     Keeping the faith - Monkfish dropped by ASDA Two years since Bite-Back launched its campaign to rid supermarkets of five threatened and vulnerable fish species, ASDA has become the first to drop monkfish from its stores. In line with Bite-Back’s pioneering email campaign, ASDA has already stopped selling shark and swordfish. Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “This is a further example of ASDA promoting Bite-Back’s concept of retailer-led marine conservation. ASDA is responding to its duty of care to the marine environment with courage and integrity. Its actions should be applauded and must be mirrored by the rest of the retail industry.” Key to the Bite-Back campaign message is a reminder to consumers and retailers that sea fish are the only truly wild item found in supermarkets. It argues that the fishing industry is purely reliant on nature to provide a constant supply of fish and, with escalating demand, it simply can’t keep up. On top of dwindling monkfish stocks and the issues associated with importing the species from as far away as Brazil, the method of catching this deep dweller has devastating knock-on effects for the marine environment. Across the globe, beam trawling has carved a barren underwater landscape the size of Europe. As a result, important breeding grounds have been literally bulldozed along with deep-water corals that had previously survived millions of years. ASDA’s ethical and sustainable sourcing manager, Chris Brown, said: "We are concerned about some of the catching methods used and the impact this has on the ecosystem. Monkfish are slow to reproduce, therefore the species is more at risk than others and more needs to be done to protect it. “We also echo Bite-Back’s invitation to see celebrity chefs take monkfish off their menus until the long-term viability of this species is clearer. That’s why we've decided to ban monkfish sales as a precaution until the industry takes appropriate action to ensure its long-term survival.” Click here to send a Bite-Back note of encouragement to the other supermarkets that continue to sell threatened and vulnerable species.