Petaling Jaya – WWF-Malaysia and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) launched the Save Our Seafood (S.O.S.) Campaign today in conjunction with World Oceans Day. The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness on the status of Malaysian fisheries, where in some parts of Malaysia our demersal fish stocks have declined by as much as 90%, and to promote sustainable seafood choices through Malaysia’s first sustainable seafood guide.
The pocket-sized, bilingual guide in English and Bahasa Malaysia provides an insight into the sustainability of the 50 most popular Malaysian seafood species. The guide uses a simple traffic light system of categorising the seafood species: Green (preferred or recommended eating choice) Yellow (eat only occasionally) and Red (avoid eating).
“The seafood guide empowers the seafood consumers and businesses to make informed decisions in choosing sustainable seafood, which means seafood that is caught and farmed responsibly and does not cause damage to our marine environment,” said Dr Loh Chi Leong, Executive Director of Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
Malaysians are the biggest consumers of seafood in Southeast Asia with an average consumption of 1.4 billion kg yearly. Our demand for seafood has resulted in a rapid decline of our fish supply due to overfishing. A group of fisheries scientists have predicted that globally in another 40 years, we run the risk of not having any seafood to eat, if we continue to consume indiscriminately.
Therefore 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.
A survey commissioned by WWF-Malaysia showed that only a quarter of Malaysian consumers are aware of the declining fish supply in our seas. However, more than 70% of Malaysians are willing to reduce seafood consumption if they are aware that fish stocks are declining.
“It is important for seafood consumers and businesses alike to know where our seafood comes from because some are sourced sustainably and some are not, due to different fisheries management regimes in different parts of the world. At present, we are taking some of our fish stocks out of the oceans faster than they can be replenished. If this scenario continues, we may eventually lose all of our fish along with other marine life,” said Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, Executive Director/CEO of WWF-Malaysia.
“We hope that seafood lovers in Malaysia will re-evaluate and eventually change their consumption patterns by using this guide as a reference when ordering or purchasing seafood. I will also promote sustainable seafood in my future programmes,” added Datuk Chef Wan.
The seafood guide is just one of the starting points of our marine conservation work which aims to eventually improve fisheries management and trade, beginning from the oceans to the plate.
The Malaysian sustainable seafood guide can be downloaded for free at www.saveourseafood.my. It is also available free of charge at both MNS & WWF-Malaysia’s HQ offices in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya respectively and its branches, including Sabah and Sarawak, Little Penang Café outlets in Mid Valley, The Curve and KLCC and Eastin Hotel, PJ. Those interested to distribute the guide can also contact WWF-Malaysia or MNS.
In the spirit of World Oceans Day, let’s show our appreciation and support of our oceans. Spread the word, use the Sustainable Seafood Guide, and have a happy World Oceans Day!
Note to editors:
• A demersal fish is a fish that feeds on or near the bottom of the ocean. Demersal fish are also known as bottom feeders or bottom dwellers.
• World Oceans Day provides an annual opportunity for us to honour the ocean’s enormous contribution to our daily lives. Originally mooted by Canada on 8th June 1992 at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the commemorative date was not made official until 17 years later when, in 2009, the United Nations officially declared 8th June of every year as World Oceans Day.
• WWF-Malaysia and Malaysian Nature Society would like to thank the following partners and funders for their great support for the SOS campaign: Datuk Chef Wan, M&C Saatchi, Synovate, Piradius Sdn Bhd, Shinjuru, TGV Sdn Bhd, Little Penang Café, Eastin Hotel, AsiaEvents Exsic Sdn Bhd, Department of Fisheries Malaysia, SEAFDEC Malaysia, WWF-Netherlands, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, University of Malaya, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Percetakan Imprint (M) Sdn Bhd.
• We shall also be having a private screening of “The End of the Line”, the world’s first major feature documentary film revealing the impacts of overfishing on the world’s fisheries on 5 August at TGV, KLCC. Go to www.saveourseafood.my for more information on calendar of events.
For media queries:
Subashni Bahsu, Media & Public Affairs Senior Executive, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: 03 7803 3772 ext 6306, e-mail: SBahsu@wwf.org.my
Andrew Sebastian, Head of Communications, MNS
Tel: 03 2287 9422, email: hod.communications@mns.org.my
For more information on the SOS Campaign:
Jennifer Neoh Tan, Communications Officer, Peninsular Malaysia Seas Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: 03 7803 3772 ext 6433, e-mail: jneoh@wwf.org.my
About WWF-Malaysia:
WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia), the national conservation trust, currently runs more than 75 projects covering a diverse range of environmental protection work. Since 1972, WWF-Malaysia has worked on important conservation projects, from saving endangered species such as tigers and turtles, to protecting our highland forests, rivers and seas. We also undertake environmental education and advocacy work to achieve conservation goals. By conserving our natural resources, WWF-Malaysia is helping to protect our livelihoods, food and water supply, thus securing our good quality of life and our children’s bright future. We thank our supporters whose donations are our lifeblood. If you would like to donate to WWF-Malaysia or learn more about our projects, please call: +603-78033772 or visit our website at: wwf.org.my
About MNS:
Established in 1940, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is the oldest and largest membership-based environmental non-government organization (NGO) in Malaysia, with some 4,000 members in 12 branches across the country, and some international members. The branches cater for the needs of the membership, and form the focal point for conservation activities in each State. Being a membership-based organization, the Society has been the reason behind the protection of many key habitats as well as national and state parks in Malaysia. The Society is involved in a number of activities most notably the study and conservation of Malaysia’s threatened species and critical habitats, raising awareness through environmental education programs, nature education centres, involved in policy-making and policy advocacy, and engaging with local communities in threatened ecosystems. For more information, please visit: www.mns.my
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