In order to spark awareness about the sustainable production of seafood which is specific to Hong Kong, the World Wide Fund has created a traffic-light system to classify the types of marine life that is caught in ecologically friendly fisheries, opposed to over-exploited and over-fished areas. In order of green, to yellow, to red, marine species are categorized as ‘Recommended,’ ‘Think Twice,’ and ‘Avoid,’ respectively. Beside each species, there is an icon of a hook to represent ‘Wild Caught,’ or a fish to represent ‘Mariculture,’ “a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean.”1  The seafood guide is neatly packed in a palm-sized fold out that is fit for wallets of those who are conscious of making a difference and saving the collapsing fisheries. There are three objectives of the guide:

1. “To provide credible information on the environmental impact of consuming seafood commonly available in Hong Kong and South China.”
2.  “To influence the behaviour of consumers and the seafood industry towards sustainable consumption.”
3. “To promote Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) products in Hong Kong and South China. The MSC is an independent, non-profit global organisation that certifies sustainable fisheries meeting MSC's environmental standard.”

According to WWF’s website, “All species were assessed using rigorous criteria for either wild caught or farmed species, developed collaboratively by a number of WWF offices, including Hong Kong. For wild-caught seafood, we examined in detail whether the fishery is sustainably managed, and whether the fishing methods are destructive to the environment. For farmed seafood, we looked at the impacts of disease, pollution, the use of medicine, and where the juvenile animals come from. Each assessment has been fine-tuned within WWF. We have also verified our own assessments with one or several independent experts, a painstaking process that took a year to complete.”

So what is WWF’s greatest concern and ultimate goal? Obviously it is impossible to terminate the fishing of all marine species in the “Avoid” category, such as Hong Kong grouper, Abalone, Swordfish, and Shrimp, as seafood is considered valued grub for a local Hongkie. However, if we make a point to hold-off on the aforementioned species, they are given time to regenerate and reproduce their sparse population. There is also a lesser chance that deep-sea ecosystems will be destroyed in the fishing process, which has a direct influence on the fish that inhabit them. With time, and action, fisheries may become more capable of being properly managed in an ecologically friendly manner.

Please visit: http://www.wwf.org.hk/eng/conservation/seafood/ for more information.

Please click here to download the seafood guide.

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