As part of its Coral Triangle Initiative, the World Wildlife Fund is preparing a seafood guide for Singapore recommending that its residents reduce their grouper and wrasse consumption. The conservation organization has published similar guides for Hong Kong and Indonesia.
The Coral Triangle Initiative is a two-year WWF campaign designed to preserve the Coral Triangle, which spans across Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. It's among the world's most biologically diverse ocean ecosystems.
Both grouper and wrasse are at the top of coral reef food chain. Dr. Lida Pet-Soede of the Coral Triangle Network Initiative warns that the extinction of grouper and wrasse would throw off the balance of the reef ecosystem, causing the population of fish that grouper and wrasse feed on to explode.
According to Pet-Soede, more than 500 metric tons of coral reef fish are consumed in Singapore annually, three-quarters of which are various types of grouper. Singapore is also the second largest consumer of grouper and wrasse in the region, behind Hong Kong.
The initiative's work in Singapore includes lobbying food outlets to support the campaign.
Gerry De Silva, spokesperson for Hong Leong Group, which owns seven hotels in Singapore, says his hotels don't serve grouper and wrasse.
The first annual Panda Ball at the St. Regis Singapore on Nov. 21 hopes to raise up to $350,000 for the initiative.
