Hong Kong, 26 January: Choose Right Today, Hong Kong’s first sustainable seafood directory website launches ahead of Chinese New Year – when seafood consumption is customary.

Hong Kong is the world’s 2nd largest per capita consumer of seafood and customarily welcomes in the new year with the consumption of certain fish species as a mark of good fortune and prosperity. Some species are consumed in their hundreds of thousands during these celebrations alone. Many, such as red groupers, and sea cucumbers have declined in recent years due to increasing demand and overfishing exacerbated by climate change. Other iconic species such as the Hong Kong grouper, Leopard coral grouper and Squaretail coral grouper are threatened according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Now is the time to eat sustainably. The website, based on extensive research provides a wide-ranging directory of almost 1,500 restaurants and 40 online food shops offering sustainable seafood. It aims to educate consumers to make informed and responsible choices ahead of the holidays

Choose Right Today, stresses that in order to avoid a future without seafood, consumers must take responsibility for being a part of the solution, not the problem and making the conscious transition towards sustainable seafood.

“There are few current policies in Hong Kong that ensure sustainability of the seafood we eat”, said Renee Lam, Sustainable Seafood Programme Co-ordinator at Choose Right Today.  “A recent survey of over 20,000 food outlets (including restaurants, take away outlets) indicated that only 7% could claim at least one of their seafood items was sustainable, and only about 10% could provide information as to the origin of seafood” she added.

As well as a sustainable seafood directory, the website provides guidance on sustainable seafood labels, common Live Reef Food Fish (LRFF) species seen in local wet markets, and seafood species to avoid. The site also offers education on the sustainability challenges faced by the seafood industry and resources to help seafood restaurant operators, seafood consumers and seafood traders advance in sustainability.

Choose Right Today is an initiative by ADM Capital Foundation.