Negative on net: curb overfishing in South China Sea or risk losing this vital resource
Lisa Genasci says a new study of fishing in the region reveals an industry in serious danger of destroying its own future, affecting the food security and employment of millions – but it’s not too late to change course
We are fishing and eating from our oceans unsustainably, meaning we are taking too many fish too quickly to allow them to sustain themselves. We are eating down the food chain. Having fished the big fish, we moved onto smaller ones, and now to the juveniles. This is not a sustainable option.
The South China Sea, which provides Hong Kong with 22 per cent of its seafood, is no exception. If we do not act to protect this critical resource, we might lack an adequate supply in the future, according to a new study launched in Hong Kong.
Fish caught in the wild are critical to regional economic security, providing a major source of protein and income for tens of millions of people living in poverty in coastal areas.
In 2012, the landed value for the South China Sea catch was US$21.8 billion, of which China accounted for 45 per cent. An estimated 2.7 million people get all or part of their income from fishing in these waters.
Yet, according to the University of British Columbia study, “Boom or Bust, the Future of Fish in the South China Sea”, these fisheries, once some of the richest and most diverse globally, have declined by between 70 and 95 per cent since 1950.
South China Sea coral reefs, meanwhile, are declining by 16 per cent a decade, and catches of some of the more desirable species, Napoleon wrasse and coral groupers, are down more than 99 per cent over eight years in some regions.