It’s Time We Save Our Seafood.

According to WWF and MNS, in 40 years we run the risk of not having any seafood to eat, if we continue to consume indiscriminately. That’s because 90 percent of Malaysia’s bottom-dwelling fish stock has declined due to unsustainable fishing practices, driven by our high demand for seafood. Our priceless seafood will soon disappear if we don’t choose sustainably harvested and farmed seafood.

And as the biggest consumers of seafood in Southeast Asia, with an average consumption of 1.4 billion kg yearly, it is important for Malaysians to start thinking about our seafood consumption patterns and how each of us can play a role to conserve our marine resources for future generations. Deciding what seafood to order at the restaurant and what to purchase at the supermarket can make a difference to reverse the dwindling seafood supply.

Threats to sustainability

The threats to sustainable management of fisheries are both terrestrial and marine-based. Some of the immediate threats are:

  • Overfishing – where the fish resource harvested is more than the sustainable level.
  • By-catch – where the use of non-selective gears such as trawl nets results in high catch of non-target species (non-commercial fishes, juveniles of commercial fishes, turtles, dolphins and others). This practice depletes fish resources, as well as affect the food-chain and marine biodiversity.
  • Destructive fishing practices – many fishermen use cyanide, bombs and electric gears to stun and catch fish easily, but the impact of these practices on the natural habitats of coral reefs, sea grass and the marine environment is devastating. (Chitra Devi et al. 2008)

What seafood you choose today can help improve the situation of our fisheries locally and globally. By your decision to stop buying threatened and undersized fish, the fishermen will have no reason to catch those fish. This will reduce the pressure on the species and allow it to restock. If we would like to continue to enjoy the variety of seafood as we do today and for years to come, we need to start making informed choices now.

What is ‘sustainable’ seafood?

The sustainable seafood movement is riding a wave all over the world. On a global scale it has quickly captivated the American and European markets and is fast catching up in Asia, particularly in countries like Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and even Vietnam, which has the first sustainable certified seafood in Southeast Asia, the clam fishery in Ben Tre Province.

Simply put, sustainable seafood is seafood that meets the following criteria:

  • fish that are caught using methods that are not harmful to the overall marine environment
  • fish species that are not endangered or at the verge of collapse
  • from a fishery that is well-managed, with minimal issues of accidental catch of turtles, marine mammals and juvenile fish
  • fish that are farmed or grown using environmentally or ocean friendly methods

Malaysia’s First Seafood Guide

In June 2010, WWF-Malaysia and Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) jointly launched Malaysia’s first seafood guide to promote sustainably-sourced seafood to seafood lovers in Malaysia in the hope that they will re-evaluate and eventually change their consumption patterns by using this pocket-sized guide as a reference when ordering or purchasing seafood.

This guide highlights over 50 popular seafood species that are commonly found in our wet markets, pasar malam, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. The species are sorted into three main categories: Recommended (Green), Think Twice (Yellow) and Avoid (Red).

Each species includes information about the fishing gear or method used to catch or farm it and where it’s caught or farmed. This guide uses an internationally agreed method to assess seafood sustainability to help consumers make the best seafood choices.

How can you get involved?

Join the sustainable seafood movement and be part of the solution! Your support and actions are crucial to ensure the sustainability of our oceans and its marine life. Act today to ensure that we can continue to enjoy our seafood.

Individual consumer

Your seafood choice and your consumption behaviour can determine what kind of ocean we leave for our children and their children. Start acting now:

Use your SOS guide

Keep the pocket-size guide always with you. Stay away from the “Avoid” species and order or buy only seafood items in the “Recommended” category.

Ask for sustainable seafood

Use your consumer purchasing powers and demand for more sustainable choices whenever you order or purchase seafood. Ask more questions – it is your right to know the source and production method of the seafood so that you can make informed and better choices.

Stop eating shark fin

Stop eating shark fin and other shark products. The demand for shark fins has threatened them to extinction. Most sharks are listed as endangered in the IUCN and CITES list. If possible, inform your host or banquet organiser that you wish to avoid being served shark fin before the event. (Read more about this on page 24).

Champion the SOS cause

WWF and MNS can’t do this alone. Your help is needed to spread the message that the global marine ecosystem and our seafood is under threat and your simple but urgent action is needed. Promote sustainable seafood to your friends and family and ask them to support the SOS campaign.You can take action now and start choosing sustainable seafood, to save our oceans and its marine resources, as well as the many livelihoods that depend on the oceans.

The seafood guide is available at the headquarters and branch offices of WWF-Malaysia and MNS. It can also be downloaded from www.saveourseafood.my

Recommended (Green) Species List

Species in this category represent the best choices of seafood that can be eaten. They are caught using fishing gears which are not detrimental to the marine environment and resources. Farmed species in this category are reared using responsible management practices that do not damage the marine environment.

  • Lala (Clam)
  • Anchovies (Ikan Bilis)
  • Yellow Banded Scad (Selar Kuning)
  • Oval Squid (Sotong Mengabang)
  • Longfin Grey Mullet (Belanak)
  • Tuna (Tongkol)
  • Indian Mackerel (Kembong/Pelaling)
  • Spanish Mackerel (Tenggiri)
  • Hardtail Scad (Cencaru)
  • Mangrove Red Snapper (Siakap Merah)
  • Humpback Grouper (Kerapu Tikus)
  • Giant Grouper (Kerapu Kertang)
  • Snubnose Pompano (Bawal Emas)
  • Blood Cockle (Kerang)
  • Green Mussel (Siput Sudu/Kupang)
  • Oysters (Tiram)
  • Mud Crab (Ketam Bakau/Batu)

For Think Twice (Yellow) and Avoid (Red) species list, please visit www.saveourseafood.my