Aguanita

中國饕客窮盡太平洋魚類
由 Kai-Chi 發表於 週二 4月 03, 2007 12:28 am

策劃、編譯■唐澄暐、侯美如

紅點的神仙魚在香港一家餐廳的水箱裡，瞪著外面的饕客。這裡是全球珊瑚礁鮮魚工業的首都，而這種獲利頗豐的貿易活動正在毀滅整個太平洋的珊瑚礁。

隨著中國的經濟起飛，一向被視為珍饈的海鮮需求量也大幅度增加，這讓隆頭魚等魚種面臨了危險邊緣。「不管你有多少錢，4、5年內你可能都吃不到。這種魚是大陸客的最愛。」當地一位陳姓漁商表示。

香港大小餐廳的水箱裡，裝滿了來自東南亞、澳洲甚至遠道從斐濟、萬納杜抓來的各種珍奇魚種。由於近海的漁撈近年已枯\\竭，香港的漁商開始向外搜捕那些已經罕見的魚種，包括鮨魚、真鯛或大型隆頭魚，讓整個太平洋的魚類生態都開始動搖。

「基本上這裡可說是這一帶的吸塵器。」香港野生動物基金會的保育主任安迪•康尼遜表示。「幾十年前香港附近的珊瑚礁就已經捕撈殆盡，貿易目標因此逐步向外尋找新資源。」

生物學家表示，珊瑚礁魚類是最無法承受過度捕撈的一種魚群，因為牠們往往得花5到10年才能成長至繁殖年齡，而且漁撈量的計算，又因為捕撈單位多半是小規模的農業社區而特別困難。「對許多珊瑚礁魚類的索求實在太過度了……由於捕撈者缺乏經營觀念，如果再不做點什麼，野生品種將會持續減少。」香港大學助理教授伊婉•沙杜維表示。

「中國對珊瑚礁魚類的需求特別大，而且預料將會持續成長……許多進入香港的珊瑚礁魚又再出口到中國。」世界自然保育聯盟（ICUN）本月稍早提出一項警告，指出如果不再推動保育措施，20種常常在中式盛宴中出現的鮨魚將有滅絕危機。

由於過度捕撈，加上使用氰化物捕捉活魚，菲律賓、印尼和馬來西亞的大片珊瑚礁正逐漸變成生態的真空地帶。海洋專家表示，儘管氰化物不經濟、不合法，對於海洋生態的殺傷力又大，漁民仍持續用它來抓出躲在珊瑚礁裡面的魚。

潛水伕把氰化物注入珊瑚礁中迷昏魚類，但死去的卻是其他海洋生態，尤其是珊瑚，何況，專家更指出其實也只有1卅4的漁獲能活到餐廳。「我們在遠離任何文明地帶的海洋中潛了兩天的水。半條魚也沒看見，完全沒有。」旅客查爾斯•費魯上個月前往菲律賓中部萊特省旅遊之後，把當時的恐怖經歷告訴了路透社。

「我嚇傻了，從沒那麼驚訝過……那裡依舊有強烈的海流，美麗的藍色海水。也還有一些漂亮的珊瑚，但什麼活的都沒有。」海洋調查及水下攝影公司「亞洲海洋」的負責人表示。

多數的魚以飛機載往香港，也有一些用特殊設計的船隻運來。香港的貿易商穿越印尼、馬來西亞和菲律賓的成千島嶼，從當地的漁民那收集高價的活魚。英文稱作拿破崙魚的大型隆頭魚「曲紋唇魚」一公斤就可以賣2百美元，藍色的成魚可以長到兩公尺長，至少就有兩百公斤。「對漁民來說，這真的是很大一筆錢。」保育團體Teng Hoi的喬治•伍德曼說：「足以動用很多人來進行大規模搜捕。」

至於氰化物的使用有多普遍，香港科技大學的化學教授蘭赫•瑞能堡表示：「我相信所有大的、外觀沒受損的魚都是用氰化物抓的。」瑞能堡研發了針測魚體內氰化物殘留的設備，「魚體內的氰化物已經不對人構成傷害……這說法聽起來是不錯，如果你不怕吃魚吃掉健康的話，就吃吃看。」

香港農業、漁業與保育部的一名官員表示，目前並沒有檢查魚體殘留氰化物，以阻止氫化物使用的計畫。不過該單位至少已在去年12月踏出管理珊瑚礁魚類的第一步，要求魚貨貿易者提出拿破崙魚的進口執照。這種魚是目前「瀕臨絕種野生動植物國際貿易公約」（華盛頓公約）中唯一的「可能受威脅等級」之珊瑚礁魚。

「這是一個重要判例。」野生動物基金會的康尼遜表示，「如果菲律賓或印尼等國都開始針對該物種發展經營計畫，那就太好了。」

去年12月，菲律賓政府逮捕約30名越界盜捕的中國漁民嫌犯，船上則發現3百多條將交付給香港的活拿破崙魚。香港負責瀕臨絕種物種的高階官員鄭志新（音譯）表示，12月以來有上千條拿破崙魚抵達香港，其中多數來自馬來西亞，且超過半數將繼續向中國出口。

拿破崙於現在在香港某些餐廳還能點到，但漁商表示數量越來越稀少，體型也越來越小。某餐\\廳經理顧超凡（音譯）表示：「你得提早一星期就預約。最近這魚已經不多見了。」

http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthN ... 2420070326

Hunger for reef fish is emptying Asian seas

Turquoise fish with red dots stare at hungry tourists from a tank at a restaurant in Hong Kong, the capital of the world's live reef fish industry, a lucrative trade devastating reefs across the Pacific Ocean.

Considered a delicacy, demand for coral fish has exploded in line with China's booming economy and some species such as the humphead wrasse are already endangered.

"You may not be able to eat it in 4 to 5 years, whatever money you pay. This is the favorite among people from mainland China," said a fish merchant, who gave his name only as Chen.

Restaurant fish tanks in Hong Kong are filled with exotic fish species gathered from all around Southeast Asia, Australia and even remote Pacific islands, such as Fiji and Vanuatu.

With the marine stock already exhausted in nearby waters, Hong Kong traders are reaching far and wide for increasingly rare fish such as groupers, snappers and humphead wrasse, spreading the unsustainable fishing habit

"Basically it's been like a vacuum cleaner across the region," said Andy Cornish, director for conservation at the WWF Hong Kong. "Reefs near Hong Kong were depleted decades ago, and the trade has moved further and further away to source fish."

Biologists say reef fish are highly vulnerable to overfishing as they need 5-10 years before reaching breeding age, and the trade is difficult to manage because the fishing is mostly on a small scale, done by rural communities.

"Demand for many reef fishes is just too high ... Wild populations will continue to decline, if nothing is done because the fisheries are typically unmanaged," said Yvonne Sadovy, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong.

"China is where the demand for live reef fish is particularly heavy, and where it is also expected to grow ... A lot of the reef fish that come into Hong Kong are re-exported into China," said the marine biologist.

Early this month, the IUCN World Conservation Union issued a warning that 20 species of grouper --- a delicacy often served at Chinese banquets -- were threatened with extinction unless conservation measures were introduced.

Large parts of reefs in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are becoming void of marine life as a result of overfishing and the use of cyanide to catch fish alive.

Though illegal, many fishermen use cyanide, an exceptionally damaging and wasteful way to catch the fish, which hide amongst the coral, marine experts say.

The divers squirt the toxin in the reef to stun the fish. But that kills most other marine life, including coral. Only about a quarter survive to make it to restaurants, experts say.

"We did two days of wild diving far from any civilization. Not a single fish was to be seen, not one," Charles Frew told Reuters after a trip to near Leyte in the Philippines last month.

"I was shocked, more than anything ... It's got strong currents, beautiful blue water. There are some bits of nice coral. But there's nothing," said the director of Asiatic Marine, a company specializing in marine surveys and underwater filming.

While many live fish arrive in planes, many also come in on specially designed vessels. Hong Kong traders travel through thousands of islands in Indonesia, Malaysia or the Philippines, collecting the prized fish alive from local fishermen.

Humphead wrasse, also known as Napoleon wrasse, commands as much as $200 a kilo. A blue adult can reach more than two meters and weigh 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

"That's a lot of money for a fisherman," said George Woodman, a director of conservation group Teng Hoi. "You can get a lot of people to move for that money ... The search is very big."

Asked how wide spread cyanide was, Reinhard Renneberg, chemistry professor from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said: "I believe almost all big, undamaged fish are caught with cyanide."

"Cyanide in fish is no longer harmful for people ... It would be nice, if you could say you'd get big health problems, if you eat this fish," said Renneberg, who has developed a testing device for cyanide in live fish.

An official from the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said it had no plans to check cyanide in imported fish, which could help stem cyanide use.

But it took the first step in December to manage the trade in a reef fish by requiring import licenses for humphead wrasse, the only coral fish listed as potentially threatened by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

"This is really a test case," said Cornish from WWF. "If all the countries like the Philippines or Indonesia start developing a management plan for that species, that would be fantastic."

In December, Manila arrested about 30 Chinese fishermen suspected of poaching. Their ship Hoi Wan was carrying more than 300 live humphead wrasse consigned for Hong Kong.

Cheung Chisun, a senior Hong Kong official in charge of endangered species, said thousands of humphead wrasse had arrived in Hong Kong since December, mostly from Indonesia, though more than half were re-exported to mainland China.

Humphead wrasse still appears on menus in some restaurants in Hong Kong, though fish traders say it is increasingly rare and getting smaller.

Asked about endangered species, fish restaurant manager Gu Chao Fan told Reuters: "You have to book a week in advance. There are not many these days."

http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthN ... 2420070326