Hongkongers appetite for reef fish ‘unsustainable’, study shows
Hong Kong has the second largest per capita consumption of seafood in Asia, at more than three times the global average
Hongkongers appetite for reef fish such as grouper could mean such dishes will be gone from diners’ tables in the next couple of decades, according to a new study.
Environmentalists and academics warned the city, known as a “food paradise”, will fail to create a sustainable trade chain and marine environment if it continues its current trading and eating pattern.
The green activists also criticised the government for its “outdated” regulations on the trade of live reef fish, which allow for their import and export.
The study, which compiled data from the past two decades to shed light on the dark side of the trade, was jointly released by the University of Hong Kong’s Swire Institute of Marine Sciences, ADM Capital Foundation and the WWF Coral Triangle Programme on Thursday, around two weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The festival falls on February 16 this year, and eating fresh seafood is part of the Chinese culinary tradition.
“The rate at which we are taking reef fish from our ocean, including juveniles, is simply not sustainable,” said Dr Yvonne Sadovy, a professor of biological science at HKU.