Liaw Wy-Cin, Straits Times 6 Sep 08;
THE grouper is the 12th most popular fish eaten here, but conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) wants Singaporeans to eat less of it.
The organisation has launched a two-year project to get restaurants and hotels to serve up less of the grouper and another fish, the Napolean wrasse, also known as the humphead wrasse.
It will come up with a seafood guide which groups seafood eaten here according to whether their numbers are threatened or not.
The WWF, which has already produced such guides for Hong Kong and Indonesia, hopes people will refer to these guides before deciding which fish to eat.
The grouper and the Napoleon wrasse live in the Coral Triangle spanning the waters of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. They are dwindling in numbers and their disappearance could seriously upset the eco-balance of the coral reefs there, says the WWF.
After Hong Kong, Singapore is the second-largest consumer of these fish in the region, noted the leader of the WWF's Coral Triangle Network Initiative, Dr Lida Pet-Soede.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, which oversees the food supply here, says Singaporeans consume about 120,000 tonnes of fish a year, most of them from the waters of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Among the 15 most popular fish consumed here are the Spanish mackerel, commonly known as batang, salmon, pomfret and seabass.
WWF says more than 500 tonnes of fish consumed here in a year are coral reef fish, and three-quarters of these are various types of grouper. The reason the consumption of the grouper and the wrasse is worrying conservationists is that these fish are at the top of the food chain in the reefs.
'When they are gone, it means other fish normally eaten by them will increase in number. And some of these fish are harmful to the reefs,' said Dr Pet-Soede.
The Coral Triangle is one of the world's three most biologically diverse areas, she said. The others are South America's Amazon and Africa's Congo Basin.
Her team's work in Singapore will involve finding out about the popular fish eaten here and exploring alternatives to serving up endangered ones.
Some hotels contacted are willing partners in WWF's drive.
Mr Gerry De Silva, spokesman for the Hong Leong Group, which owns seven hotels here, said: 'Our hotels here don't have these fish on their menus, but we are willing to work with WWF to keep endangered fish off our tables.'
To fund this project, the WWF aims to raise $400,000 to $500,000 through a gala dinner called the Panda Ball on Nov 21 at the St Regis Singapore, one of the hotels owned by the Hong Leong Group.
Said Dr Pet-Soede: 'We're not saying one has to stop eating fish but perhaps we can choose to eat those which are in abundant supply. With the seafood guide, we hope to help consumers make these decisions.'
An Asian first for the Panda Ball?
Today Online 6 Sep 08;
THE panda is coming home. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is bringing its big fund-raising event, known as the Panda Ball, to Asia for the first time.
After five years of being held at top hotels in Switzerland or Monte Carlo, the ball will be held at the St Regis Singapore on Nov 21.
Funds raised by the charity event will go to a Singapore-based project to raise public awareness of seafood consumption, particularly live reef fish, and eco-tourism related to the Coral Triangle, whose rich resources are being threatened.
The latter is an area known as “nursery of the seas” — the world’s centre of marine life — in the waters of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
WWF Singapore will launch a seafood guide campaign to promote a sustainable fish trade. It says destructive fishing practices, such as blast or cyanide fishing, pose a serious risk to the health of reef ecosystems and the long-term future of the live reef fish trade.
The WWF also wants to make travellers and tourism businesses here more aware of opportunities to reduce their negative impact on the region. It wants to promote responsible tourism and travel.
For the big charity event, the St Regis ballroom will be transformed into a mock marine paradise, featuring the rich colours of corals. A one-off Panda gown created by Danish designer Isabell Kristensen will be on display for potential bidders, in an auction that will also feature vintage wines, an adventure cruise and unique timepieces.
Guests will include Deputy Prime Minister Prof S Jayakumar, and Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands, who are noted supporters of the WWF.
