When you think about the ocean and it’s many fishes, what comes into your mind? Many people would say “delicious” or “seafood”, highlighting the most predominant relationship between man and sea. Hong Kong is one of the biggest per capita consumer of seafood in the world, and we have been importing our marine resources from over 130 countries/territories around the world each year. Do you think the ocean has limitless resources for our consumption, or are our oceans on the verge of collapse?

From fearsome sharks to colourful groupers, let’s talk a bit about marine conservation – the fish’s vulnerability to overfishing, Hong Kong’s role in managing global seafood stocks, and what we can do to ensure healthy oceans and abundant sea life for our next generation.

Stan Shea is the Marine Programme Director and resident researcher of BLOOM Association Hong Kong. He graduated from the Oxford Brook University studying Environmental Science and holds an MPhil in Marine Biology from The University of Hong Kong. At BLOOM HK, Stan manages all ongoing research, education and advocacy projects, and works both globally and locally for topics surrounding the shark fin-related trade. He has recently published a paper on Hong Kong’s sea cucumber trade and a co-authored photographic guide book on Hong Kong’s reef fishes.