Much of Hong Kong's USD 2 billion live tropical fish trade is untracked, new report finds

A recent report in Marine Policy has revealed that the source of half of the live tropical fish sold for human consumption in Hong Kong's markets, the largest such market globally, remains undocumented. The research, conducted by the Swire Institute of Marine Science at the University of Hong Kong, examined trade trends over the past decade, which saw around 200,000 metric tons of live tropical fish traded and valued at over USD 2 billion. The majority of these fish were imported from Indonesia and the Philippines, with a significant portion reexported to Macau and mainland China. The report highlighted issues such as underreporting, inadequate surveying, and the use of vague trading codes, leading to missing data and underestimation of endangered species like the humphead wrasse in trade records. Despite the need for a CITES certificate for this endangered species, the report found non-compliance with this regulation. The trade of undocumented live reef fish experienced a surge after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

A report published in Marine Policy has found that the origin of nearly half of live tropical fish sold for human consumption in Hong Kong markets, the world’s largest market for the trade, is undocumented.Authored by a group of researchers at the Swire Institute of Marine Science at the University of Hong Kong, “Temporal Trends of Key Commercial Species Under Live Reef Food Fish Trade In Hong Kong” found that over the past decade, Hong Kong's trade of live tropical fish for human consumption – mainly centered on species like groupers, wrasses, and snappers – totaled 200,000 metric tons and was worth over USD 2 billion (EUR 1.8 billion).The fish are mainly imported from Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian nations, with a large percentage of the fish then reexported to Macau and mainland China, where Hong Kong enjoys zero-tariff status – a practice the report said “contributes to over-exploitation of tropical fish.”“Endangered species like humphead wrasse ...