The New York Times had earlier reported that EDF “does not accept contributions from Wal-Mart or other corporations it works for.” However, when confronted on the fact that the $1.3 billion Walton Family Foundation (started in 1987 by Wal-Mart’s founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and directed presently by the Walton family) has been underwriting EDF’s successful effort to replace the nation’s mostly small-business, owner-operated fishing industry with a catch shares model designed to cap the number of active fishermen by trading away ownership of the resource to those with the deepest pockets, the author of the New York Times report conceded by email that in her rush to meet deadlines, she had not considered the relationship between the Walton family and Wal-Mart.
“I realize that Wal-Mart offers cheap stuff for consumers and provides a tax base for local towns, but it’s time for coastal Americans to ask themselves, at what cost are they’re willing to allow this takeover to move forward,” added Donofrio.
“We know that the Walton’s support for marine reserves and catch shares represents a complete takeover of our coastal resource, and now with the rest of these headlines it’s pretty apparent what we’re dealing with in terms of corporate greed,” he said.