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SCMP Reporter

Consumer advice a move to save threatened seafood such as sharks and humphead wrasse

A marine conservation body plans to create a seafood consumption guide advising the  public on how to choose the appropriate seafood to cause the least environmental damage to marine ecosystems.

In an intensified effort to protect overfished species such as sharks and humphead wrasse, WWF  Hong Kong has started to compile the guide, which will rate the impact of consumption of locally available and imported seafood.

A recent poll commissioned by the green group on  public awareness about the impact of seafood consumption found people had little information on the seafood they ate.

Conducted online over July and August, a total of 932 people - all Chinese, aged between 15 and 65 -  were interviewed.

Fifty-four  per cent  said they did not know where the seafood they ate came from, though 41 per cent claimed  they knew which marine species were considered environmentally friendly to eat.

Most respondents admitted they have eaten either shark's fin or humphead wrasse, also known as so mei in Cantonese, which is a globally threatened species and subject to trade restrictions.

More than half ate the species at special gatherings or celebrations. About a third cited  taste as reason for eating the two species, while only 5 per cent said they consumed shark's fin  for health benefits.

Contrary to claims by the trade that shark's fin soup is a traditional gourmet item for Chinese, none of the respondents listed tradition as a reason for consumption.

While a third of the respondents  said they preferred wild-caught fish, nearly all said they would reduce or stop consumption of threatened species and about 70 per cent said they would use the seafood consumption guide.

'Hong Kong people eat a lot of seafood but they have little knowledge or information on the sources and  are unsure of  the species that are environment-friendly,' said Andy Cornish, director of conservation of WWF Hong Kong.

Dr Cornish said they were not advising people not to eat any seafood, but urging them  to pay more attention to how their consumption pattern could affect  marine life.

'It is quite common for people to have shark's fin soup at wedding banquets. This is probably ordered by somebody else.

'If we can influence the people who do the ordering, then we might expect to see some changes,' he said.

George Lam, a shark's fin importer, said that while he agreed certain big shark species had to be protected from overfishing, there was no need to ban the dish.

'It will be an abuse of power if they tell people shark's fin soup should not be allowed.'

ALL AT SEA

Sample size: 932 people

54 per cent of consumers don?t know which countries the seafood they eat comes from

26 per cent don?t know which species are ?environmentally friendly?, while 41 per cent do

70 per cent would use a guide on the impact of consuming seafood

83 per cent have eaten shark/shark?s fin and 68 per cent have eaten humphead wrasse

52 per cent eat humphead wrasse at a celebration and 58 per cent eat shark?s fin for the same reason

34 per cent prefer eating wild-caught reef fish and 9 per cent prefer cultured ones, but 56 per cent

have no specific preference

90 per cent would stop or reduce eating species threatened or decreasing in population



Guide to direct diners to 'safe' species