WWF wants curbs on grouper exports

Borneo Bulletin 5 Feb 08;

KOTA KINABALU - The popular seafood delight grouper or ikan kerapu is facing a sharp drop in population, The Star reported.

Researchers have found that the ikan kerapu and mameng (humphead wrasse) population has dwindled in the last 10 years based on statistics collected by the Fisheries Department, said WWF- Malaysia executive director Dr Dionysius Sharma.

"This indicates the effects of reduced fish stocks by both commercial and traditional fishing methods," he said recently.

He said there was a need for sustainable fishing to be adopted with curbs on the export of these types of coral reef fishes.

Fish such as the humphead wrasse, humpback grouper and giant grouper are examples of high-value fish prized for their texture and flavour that have high demand in China, Hong Kong and Singapore markets. The humphead wrasse has been listed as an endangered species. Dr Sharma said WWF, together with the Fisheries Department and TRAFFIC South-East Asia, had adopted the Live Reef Fish Trade (LRFT) to check on the trade of such fish species that had high economic value.

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

TRAFFIC South-East Asia was established in October 1991, hosted by WWF Malaysia. The Live Reef Food Fish Trade (LRFFT) is used to describe the trade in live reef fish for consumption, mainly in Hong Kong and southern China, involving more than 20 supply countries. The move to get the LRFT going in Sabah was in line with the Sabah Development Corridor blueprint that also focused on the need for sustainable utilisation and harvesting of natural resources, Dr Sharma said.