What happens when an endangered species sells for $250-300/kg? Sadly, it will be killed and bragged about on social media. Ahmed Al-Hilaly and Abu Majed, both from Saudi Arabia, were just the latest to celebrate their illicit catches on social media.
Thankfully, the celebratory posts drew protests, condemnation and some official complaints.
The humphead wrasse, known for its fat lips, bulbous forehead, and mostly especially for its beautiful shades of blues and greens, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is currently on the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service’s Species of Concern list.
Due to illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and trading of this species, in addition to its slow breeding rate, the global humphead wrasse population has shrunken by 50 percent over the past 30 years, rendering it rare in the wild and extremely vulnerable to overexploitation.
According to one Facebook user who shared Hilaly's note of victory last week, the incident has "already been reported to multiple agencies in his country, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) & other places (and even the President of the Environment there just for good measure)."
Just a day afterwards, Hepca (Hurghada Environmental Protection & Conservation Association), an NGO specialized in marine & land conservation in Egypt, joined hands to raise awareness on the matter, commenting "Unfortunately these pictures were taken in Saudi Arabia and the person in this picture is a diving instructor. Although the whole incident is out of our jurisdiction, we have been in touch with all counterparts and diving agencies in Saudi to assure that this person gets [what] he deserves."
The humphead is said to have once been only eaten by royalty, but in the modern times it has grown slightly more widespread in consumption, and is considered a delicacy worth hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars.
Found in the coastal waters of 48 countries along the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and parts of the Pacific, many governments are lax about enforcing any regulatory measures for humphead wrasse fishing.
Between loose regulations and the rich spending their money on endangered species, we hope strict action will be taken and enforced before our waters are cleared of this beautiful creature.