Sustainable Seafood

The past few posts have been pretty pessimistic, but here is one that will probably cheer you up a little: There has been greater emphasis on sustainable seafood in this year! (Score one for the marine creatures!) In this post, I'll be focusing on the progress of the local scene here in Singapore.

 Ask a Singaporean what sort of seafood he or she loves, chances are delicacies such as "Chilli Crab" and "Lobster Rolls" top the list. Unfortunately, "Shark's Fins" is also one of the more commonly eaten delicacies not just in Singapore, but over most parts of Asia. More often than not, the way these sharks are caught for their fins are not only inhumane (most sharks are still alive as their fins are sliced off), but greatly threatens the propagation of many shark species. The poster below illustrates that 90% of the world's shark population has been killed in just 10 years. This is worrying indeed.

STATISTICS OF SHARK-FINNING PRACTICES. PHOTO: TRAVEL.TRUELIFE.COM

Again, another diagram illustrating the vast markets and trading involved for shark's fins in 2008. You may have also noticed that Singapore exported the second-highest amount of shark's fins (1,201,236 kg worth of dried and frozen fins) to Hong Kong.

COUNTRIES EXPORTING SHARK'S FINS TO HONG KONG. PHOTO: SPEAKUPFORBLUE.COM

However, this is changing. 8 June 2014 to 15 June 2014 was an important period for Singapore in the sustainable seafood scene, as it kick-started Singapore's first WWF Sustainable Seafood Festival 2014. It was a good step forward in raising awareness to highlight the plight of marine organisms, educating fisheries, seafood restaurants and consumers.   Here's the video by WWF on the reasons why they decided to carry out such a Festival:

Progress didn't stop there. Singapore Airlines (SIA) cargo also announced that they would stop carrying shark's fins from August 2014, joining the likes of other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Air New Zealand (Tan, 2014). This is a big step and victory for wildlife protection groups, amid raised concerns about the unethical and inhumane practice of shark-finning. The arrival of integrated resorts like Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands have also boosted local demand for sustainable seafood, resulting in many companies including Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) venturing into this area. These companies are making profits and generating revenue (Mok, 2014), a testimony to increased demand for sustainable seafood in Singapore.

 As a start, consumers may look out for these eco-labels certified on sustainably-sourced seafood (as seen below), which are awarded by the Marine Stewardship Council, the world's leading certification and eco-labelling programme for sustainable seafood.

MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL ECOLABEL PHOTO: MSC.ORG

The choice lies in our hands. To safeguard the future of marine wildlife and protect the seafood resources of future generations, the onus is on us to practice sustainable seafood methods for fisheries, and for consumers, choose the seafood we eat wisely, and only from sustainable sources

Literature Citied

Mok F. F. (2014) Sustainable seafood is no fishy business. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.stjobs.sg/career-resources/workplace-success/sustainable-seafood-is-no-fishy-business/a/171681. [Accessed 07 September 2014].
Tan S. W. (2014) SIA Cargo to stop carrying shark’s fins from August. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/sia-cargo-to-stop/1225450.html. [Accessed 07 September 2014].