JAKARTA, Indonesia (16 July 2006) -- The Napoleon fish, emperor of tropical coral reefs, is battling for survival: often illegally fished, it is sold for high prices to Chinese buyers who prize its delicate flesh. The latest attempt at smuggling this giant of the seas with a curious bump on its head occurred last month: 36 of the fish, known also as the humphead wrasse, were seized at Manado airport, on Indonesia's Sulawesi island. They had been destined for the steaming restaurants of Hong Kong, where one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of the rare fish fetches 80 to 130 dollars. Yvonne Sadovy from the World Conservation Union (IUCN) warns that one of the challenges facing the species is that it does not reproduce as readily as species such as sardines or anchovies. The fish, which can weigh up to 200 kilograms and exceed two meters (yards), does not reach sexual maturity until it is nearly five years old. But fishermen aim to capture young prey, which have not yet had a chance to procreate. "They are potentially threatened if nothing is done," warns Sadovy, an expert on the fish from the University of Hong Kong. Greenpeace noted in 2004 that the fish was in "dramatic decline" along Indonesia's coral reefs while another conservation group, Telapak, estimated that its number had dwindled to just three to four per square kilometre. Under pressure from ecologists, the species was registered in 2004, effective in 2005, under appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which allows its controlled marketing. Strict quotas now govern the capture of the humphead wrasse, found in the Indo-Pacific zone, off the east coasts of Africa and New Caledonia, through the Red Sea, the south of Japan and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. "Illegal trade is substantial out of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia," Sadovy says. | | Napoleon wrasse (Pat Colin) In north Sulawesi alone where catches are prohibited, authorities have carried out three seizures in five months -- netting a total of 693 Napoleon fish, mostly still alive -- that were headed to Chinese dinner plates. "That rings an alarm bell," says Chris R. Shepherd, a regional programme officer with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, a group which examines the impact of the wildlife trade. "There are chances that this is just the tip of the iceberg." The Napoleon could be the victim of a paradox already noted for other threatened species: the scarcer the product becomes, the more demand increases. "People want to have luxury products," Shepherd says. "It is a luxury fish." Ecologists are not the only ones fearing the demise of the second-largest reef fish in the world. Deep-sea divers would also lose one of their greatest pleasures: seeing the fish's colors gradually change throughout its 30 years of life, passing from black and white to pale green and then electric blue. Adult fish are covered with geometrical patterns, especially on their head which is shaped like the real Napoleon's famed hat, evoking imperial grandeur. "It is the buffalo of the reef, a big, solid, spectacular animal," Sadovy says. "It's very highly valued by scuba divers." |
