Living Oceans
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Living Oceans
Objective
Our objective is to facilitate sustainability of our marine resources, the protection of biodiversity and ultimately food security, by driving improvements in the management of wild capture and farmed seafood production.
Our Strategy
We developed our marine strategy in 2013 based on a compilation of research led by ‘Fish Matter’ and an experts’ regional workshop to synthesise the results.
Regionally, our focus is to address the challenge of managing shared marine resource in Asia that are an important source of seafood globally, as well as being vital for national economies. We aim to engage with regional stakeholders, support efforts to re-think and develop sustainable fisheries and generate awareness of the deteriorating status of Asia’s marine resources.
Locally, our focus is to facilitate both the supply and demand of sustainable seafood in Hong Kong, a significant importer of seafood on a global scale. This involves raising awareness of sustainability products as well as supporting research and advocacy efforts towards better management and regulation of the seafood trade.
In Asia
The level of investment in fisheries management by governments, the private sector and philanthropic donors is lagging behind what is required to trigger substantial reform. In part, this is due to capacity issues and in some cases represents lack of political will as well as lack of awareness.
Why we care about Living Oceans
Our ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface and contain over 90% of the world’s living biomass. As a source of protein for billions of people worldwide, it is critical for our survival. This dependence however, goes beyond being just a primary food source. Half of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean and it is estimated to be our largest natural carbon reservoir, absorbing about one-third of anthropogenic CO2 missions. The ocean is therefore of fundamental importance in the battle against climate change.
This critical resource and the extraordinary life it supports, is however increasingly threatened by overexploitation, pollution, habitat degradation and the changing climate.
As seafood demand rises and industrialised fishing gains pace, scientists have painted a gloomy picture of the collapse of global fish stocks, should we continue business as usual. Symptomatic of persistent overfishing, many high-value upper-trophic-level species of importance to the marine ecosystem are now depleted to economic extinction and threatened with biological extinction. In Asia, this has led to a ‘race to the bottom’ where decreasing mesh sizes of fishing nets ensure that species are indiscriminately over fished, including the juveniles of commercially important species. Although aquaculture is part of the solution, it is also part of the problem, with the demand for the raw materials for fish and animal feed (fish caught in the wild) rising,
Overall, there is little doubt that the future of our fish stocks has been traded for short-term gains. There is widespread consensus that Asia’s fisheries need to move rapidly to protection, management and, in some cases, full restoration.
Many species of importance to the marine ecosystem are now threatened with EXTINCTION
Our Latest Blogs
Hong Kong, Regional
April 7, 2020
Lisa Genasci
I’ve been thinking these days about how we take this challenging moment, this public health crisis and consequent loss of life, our paralysed economies, and apply what we are learning to our equally urgent climate emergency. ...
Hong Kong
December 23, 2019
Bertha Lo-Hofford
Steamed fish is a staple for Hong Kong families and a favoured dish among diners in Chinese restaurants. We are perfectionists when it comes to our fish. Every step involved in cooking a dish has to be carried out flawlessly; ...
Hong Kong
July 24, 2019
Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition
For all seafood to be legal, traceable and biologically sustainable: The vision of the Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition When it comes to seafood, how do we know if it is sustainable? The answer might be more complex than ...
