Gentoo Penguin
Overfishing
Penguin diet depends heavily on fish and krill. However, food source conflict and competition between the species and fishermen has become an issue as penguin population declines due to starvation. Penguins have to swim hundreds of miles away to find enough food. Many weak penguins will die on the way due to exhaustion. Many chicks starve when parent penguins need to hunt further away to find enough food but are unable to return to the nest quickly enough to feed their offspring. In 2010, 550 penguins were found dead on Brazil's coastline which were believed to have starved to death. In 2018, another long-term gentoo penguin study also revealed a 25 percent reduction in breeding pairs and a decrease of between 54-60 percent in chick numbers.
Overfishing is the largest driver of biodiversity loss in the ocean. Besides gentoo penguins, many top predators in the ocean, such as billfish, tunas and sharks, are experiencing unprecedented population declines worldwide. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that the worldwide per capita fish consumption in 2018 was record-breaking and reached 20.5kg. The situation has been worsening and the trend is predicted to persist.
Hong Kong is the second-largest and the eighth-largest per capita consumer of seafood in Asia and worldwide respectively. Increasing consumer awareness on overfishing and choosing sustainable seafood has never been so urgent before. By supporting "Conservation Hero Supporting Programme", we can take a big step forward in transforming Hong Kong into one of the most sustainable cities in the world.