About 2.9 billion people around the world rely on seafood for their daily protein intake, and their consumption of it is increasing. Hongkongers now consume more than three times the global average per capita - more than Japan. While response by the government is slow, and knowledge among diners generally low, a growing number of restaurants are taking a step towards more sustainable seafood.
Richard Ekkebus, culinary director at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, says he was inspired to be cautious with his use of ingredients on a visit to Tasmania, where the food industry is tightly controlled. But this proved difficult to put into practice.
'Hong Kong was a reality check,' he says. 'The pressure of the market is very strong, and you can't always do what you, as a chef, want to do.' Ekkebus uses line-caught fish that are usually more expensive, but do not result in wasted by-catch. He also refuses to serve wild caviar and bluefin tuna.
'As a contemporary European restaurant, guests expect fish popular in Europe such as turbot, cod and sea bass, but these are heavily fished,' he says. 'I tried using gurnard and pollock, which are more unusual and more interesting but, as diners were not familiar with them, they didn't go for these dishes.'
Chefs also face difficulties with being sure the seafood they are being supplied with is actually sustainable. Cesare Romani, executive chef at the InterContinental Grand Stanford, last month ran a menu which focused on being low-carbon, but included some sustainable seafood. He says the sourcing process was a challenge.
'Every supplier was eager to supply us with products from far away, exotic countries, but most of the products were very difficult to trace,' he says.