Temporal trends of key commercial species under live reef food fish trade in Hong Kong

In the past decade Hong Kong's live reef food fish trade (LRFFT) imported 200,000 tons of live fish for human consumption. The substantial demand for LRFF, worth over USD$ 2 billion, contributes to over-exploitation of tropical fish species. Here, we evaluate the temporal and species trends in Hong Kong's LRFFT, testing potential associations with socioeconomic factors (e.g. population size, GDP per capita). LRFF were mainly imported from Southeast Asia with Macau SAR and Mainland China as the major re-export destinations. Both LRFF imports and exports decreased in 2022 in comparison to 2012 despite fluctuations due to global incidents such as COVID-19. The import trend was mainly explained by decreases in Plectropomus leopardus, Epinephelus coioides, E. lanceolatus and aquaculture hybrid groupers. We further identified challenges for LRFFT monitoring, which is tracked by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong SAR. Broad and nonspecific trading codes are used, lacking key information on specific species, such as common wet market groupers P. maculatus and E. corallicola. Furthermore, endangered species like Cheilinus undulatus are in Hong Kong markets but are missing from LRFF trade data due to under-reporting from fishing vessel declarations and incomprehensive surveys from the local CITES management authority, leading to over 50% import data gaps in half the LRFF species. It is time to call for actions by local policymakers and global seafood networks to strengthen laws for LRFF declarations, survey stakeholders, as well as improve traceability for endangered fish species. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.