12 Jul
2006 - Manado, Indonesia – Indonesian airport
authorities seized 36 humphead wrasse, the third
seizure of this endangered fish species in the
country this year alone. The live fish, harvested
in Indonesia, were destined for Hong Kong.
“Indonesia remains a major supplier
to Hong Kong and other end-use markets, which
drive demand for this high-value reef fish,"
said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Regional Director
James Compton.
Prized as a delicacy and served
in high-end restaurants, the humphead wrasse can
sell for over US$100 per kilogramme in the market
place. Hong Kong represents the largest known
consumer market for this species, although upscale
eateries in Malaysia, Singapore and mainland China
are also known to offer servings of the electric
blue fish.
Found among the coral reefs
across Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific and
the Indian Ocean, the humphead wrasse can grow
to over two metres long, weigh up to 190kg and
live for more than 30 years. The trade in this
species, however, is selective, with smaller sized
individuals, including many juveniles, preferred
over full-grown adults because the flesh is considered
more tender. Smaller fish are better suited to
the restaurant trade that prefers to serve whole
fish. The species is typically traded live.
Indonesia allows an annual capture
of 8,000 individual humphead wrasse — none for
local consumption, all for export — and fish harvest
is only permitted in specified areas, including
Papua, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa
Tenggara.
"The challenge for Indonesia
is to develop a workable strategy for monitoring
the trade and improving law enforcement,” Compton
added, “otherwise the fishery cannot be managed
for the long-term benefits of local and national
interests."
Indonesian representatives recently
joined authorities from Hong Kong, China, Malaysia,
Papua New Guinea and the Philippines to discuss
the international humphead wrasse trade. Participants
attending the workshop — co-organized by WWF,
TRAFFIC and IUCN — agreed to develop science-based
guidelines for sustainable resource use of the
humphead wrasse, as well as promote regional cooperation
and increased awareness among the fisheries industry
and consumers on the trade.
"Cooperation between countries
and by the relevant fisheries and management authorities
within source countries is key to the successful
implementation of a CITES listing for the humphead
wrasse," said Dr Yvonne Sadovy of the University
of Honk Kong and Chair of the IUCN Groupers &
Wrasses Specialist Group.
The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus
undulates) is listed on Appendix II of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This means international
trade in the species is possible only with valid
CITES permits. The CITES Appendix II listing helps
supply and consumer countries to ensure that the
trade in the species is both legal and sustainable.
At present, Hong Kong has not
implemented the CITES Appendix II-listing for
humphead wrasse, and as a result, the fish species
can be legally imported. New legislation, however,
is expected to require both import and possession
permits in Hong Kong, in addition to the CITES
permits that must be issued by exporting countries.
“If the species is sustainably
managed and traded, then the situation is win-win,”
Sadovy stressed. “Traders can continue their business,
consumers can eat the fish, and fish populations
can once again be healthy for all to enjoy."
James Compton, Regional Director / Yvonne Sadovy,
Chair / Maija Sirola, Communications Coordinator
