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.

Catalysing Change, in a Transforming World
November 11, 2021
Sophie le Clue
On 1st November, I stepped in to ADMCF’s CEO role following Lisa’s move into her new position at ADM Capital, building funds with a climate focus. After 15 years steering ADM Capital Foundation, Lisa has joined our ...
Hong Kong
2020: Significant hardship and profound change
August 3, 2021
Lisa Genasci
In 2020, we marked 14 years since ADMCF’s launch and with this, our latest Annual Report, we detail our work over the year and the support received by so many of you. This has not been a usual time, however, and we capture in ...
Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Global, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Regional, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
2019: Year in Review
June 15, 2020
Lisa Genasci
I am writing this amidst the current global public health crisis. We’ve shut down our economies and moved indoors in response. At ADMCF, we have been reflecting on what we can learn from this challenging moment and the role of ...