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Article: Shrinking baseline: The growth in juvenile fisheries, with the Hong Kong grouper fishery as a case study

TitleShrinking baseline: The growth in juvenile fisheries, with the Hong Kong grouper fishery as a case study
Authors
KeywordsJuvenile fisheries
Live fish market
Serranidae
Sexual maturity
Shrinking baseline
Threatened fish
Issue Date2009
PublisherBlackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/FAF
Citation
Fish And Fisheries, 2009, v. 10 n. 4, p. 396-407 How to Cite?
AbstractHistoric and current information on the grouper fishery from Hong Kong and adjacent waters reveals significant changes in species composition and fish sizes over the past 50 years in this important Asian centre for seafood consumption. Once dominant, large groupers are now rare and small species and sizes prevail in the present-day fishery. Juveniles comprise over 80% of marketed fish by number among the most commonly retailed groupers, and reproductive-sized fish are absent among larger species. Current fishery practices and the lack of management in Hong Kong and adjacent waters pose a significant threat to large species with limited geographic distribution such as Epinephelus akaara and Epinephelus bruneus, both now listed as threatened by the IUCN. The heavy reliance on juveniles, not only for groupers, but for an increasing diversity of desired fishes within Asia, potentially reduces stock spawning potential. The 'shrinking baseline' in terms of a progressive reduction in fish sizes being marketed in the region can seriously undermine fishery sustainability and recoverability of depleted fish stocks. Fishing pressure on groupers and other valuable food fishes within the Asia-Pacific is intensifying, the declining long-term trend of grouper landings in Hong Kong and the increasing focus on juveniles for immediate sale or for mariculture 'grow-out' signal a worrying direction for regional fisheries. Moreover, the common appearance of small groupers for sale will influence public perception regarding what are 'normal-sized' fish. Management attention is needed if these fisheries are to remain viable. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/127446
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 5.6
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 1.991
ISI Accession Number ID
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Committee on Research and Conference Grants, The University of Hong Kong
Funding Information:

We are most grateful to Rachel Wong, Liu Min and Andy Cornish for assistance in research and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We also thank the editor and reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This paper forms part of the PhD research of the first author and was supported by studentship provided by the Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, and research funding from the Committee on Research and Conference Grants, The University of Hong Kong.

References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorTo, AWLen_HK
dc.contributor.authorDe Mitcheson, YSen_HK
dc.date.accessioned2010-10-31T13:26:03Z-
dc.date.available2010-10-31T13:26:03Z-
dc.date.issued2009en_HK
dc.identifier.citationFish And Fisheries, 2009, v. 10 n. 4, p. 396-407en_HK
dc.identifier.issn1467-2960en_HK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/127446-
dc.description.abstractHistoric and current information on the grouper fishery from Hong Kong and adjacent waters reveals significant changes in species composition and fish sizes over the past 50 years in this important Asian centre for seafood consumption. Once dominant, large groupers are now rare and small species and sizes prevail in the present-day fishery. Juveniles comprise over 80% of marketed fish by number among the most commonly retailed groupers, and reproductive-sized fish are absent among larger species. Current fishery practices and the lack of management in Hong Kong and adjacent waters pose a significant threat to large species with limited geographic distribution such as Epinephelus akaara and Epinephelus bruneus, both now listed as threatened by the IUCN. The heavy reliance on juveniles, not only for groupers, but for an increasing diversity of desired fishes within Asia, potentially reduces stock spawning potential. The 'shrinking baseline' in terms of a progressive reduction in fish sizes being marketed in the region can seriously undermine fishery sustainability and recoverability of depleted fish stocks. Fishing pressure on groupers and other valuable food fishes within the Asia-Pacific is intensifying, the declining long-term trend of grouper landings in Hong Kong and the increasing focus on juveniles for immediate sale or for mariculture 'grow-out' signal a worrying direction for regional fisheries. Moreover, the common appearance of small groupers for sale will influence public perception regarding what are 'normal-sized' fish. Management attention is needed if these fisheries are to remain viable. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.en_HK
dc.languageengen_HK
dc.publisherBlackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/FAFen_HK
dc.relation.ispartofFish and Fisheriesen_HK
dc.rightsThe definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com-
dc.subjectJuvenile fisheriesen_HK
dc.subjectLive fish marketen_HK
dc.subjectSerranidaeen_HK
dc.subjectSexual maturityen_HK
dc.subjectShrinking baselineen_HK
dc.subjectThreatened fishen_HK
dc.titleShrinking baseline: The growth in juvenile fisheries, with the Hong Kong grouper fishery as a case studyen_HK
dc.typeArticleen_HK
dc.identifier.openurlhttp://library.hku.hk:4550/resserv?sid=HKU:IR&issn=1467-2960&volume=10&issue=4&spage=396&epage=407&date=2009&atitle=Shrinking+baseline:+The+growth+in+juvenile+fisheries,+with+the+Hong+Kong+grouper+fishery+as+a+case+studyen_HK
dc.identifier.emailDe Mitcheson, YS: yjsadovy@hkucc.hku.hken_HK
dc.identifier.authorityDe Mitcheson, YS=rp00773en_HK
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltext-
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1467-2979.2009.00326.xen_HK
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-70449726971en_HK
dc.identifier.hkuros178679en_HK
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-70449726971&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_HK
dc.identifier.volume10en_HK
dc.identifier.issue4en_HK
dc.identifier.spage396en_HK
dc.identifier.epage407en_HK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000271899800003-
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdomen_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridTo, AWL=35176649100en_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridDe Mitcheson, YS=6603830002en_HK
dc.identifier.citeulike6201475-
dc.identifier.issnl1467-2960-

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