Asia’s oceans are home to some of the richest and most diverse fisheries in the world. Yet its regional fisheries are threatened by pollution, excessive and destructive fishing practices, as well as coastal habitat modification such as reclamation for aquaculture or urban and industrial land. Economic growth agendas and political disputes over territorial claims compound these threats to fisheries sustainability and marine biodiversity especially in the South China Sea (SCS).
In 2014, ADMCF commissioned leading fisheries experts from the University of British Columbia (UBC) to model different climate change and fishing management scenarios to predict the future productivity and ecosystem health of the SCS over the following 30 years (to 2045). The project aimed to generate regional awareness, inform dialogue as well as generate ideas for reform. Its highly publicised findings were released in 2015 in the report ‘Boom or Bust – the Future of Fish in the South China Sea’.
In 2017, ADMCF commissioned UBC to expand this work to the East China Sea (ECS). At the same time, it was determined that there was a need to understand the implications of indiscriminate and unregulated bottom trawl fishing (termed here ‘Feed Grade Fisheries’) for productivity and biodiversity in both the SCS and ECS. With additional research undertaken by the University of Hong Kong, this wider scope aims to enable identification and documentation of the history and development (social/economic/biological) of the transition from target fisheries to ‘Feed Grade Fisheries’ in the SCS and ECS, and to determine the implications for our marine resources. The research findings will be released in 2020.

Global, Hong Kong
2022 Annual Report
May 8, 2023
Sophie le Clue
A Perfect Storm, Justice, Ambition, Transformation We are pleased to release our 2022 Annual Report, highlighting the work of our programmes across an extraordinary year, wherein the Conference of the Parties to three of the ...
Global, Hong Kong
Stan Shea, Hong Kong Marine Biologist, Awarded Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation
March 22, 2023
Liberty Mccarthy
We are proud to announce that Stan Shea, ADMCF’s Marine Programme Director has been selected by The Pew Charitable Trusts as a recipient of the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation. Stan is one of seven international ...
Global, Hong Kong
Webinar: International Online Workshop on the Use of Fish Maws – Implications for Species, Fisheries, People and Sustainability
March 10, 2023
ADMCF
This workshop has now taken place. Watch the recordings here and view or download speaker presentations here. Fish maws (swim bladders) have been used in various products for centuries including food, isinglass (used in brewing ...