Diver coming out of the water with an oyster shell in her hands

Efforts to rebuild Hong Kong oyster reefs now on film

Diver coming out of the water with an oyster shell in her hands

Image from City of Shells by Mike Sakas.

Pearls, aphrodisiac concoctions, and Asian sauces. When we, ‘moderns,’ think about oysters, we rarely connect them to the substrate of a city.

Hong Kong and its Pearl River Delta area, as it turns out, have been built both structurally and socio-culturally atop what used to be extensive oyster reefs. However, these ecosystems have been decimated by dredging for lime and mega-city development.

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Fisherman Casting Net at Sunset in Mandalay.

World Fisheries Day 2025: Using Sea Around Us data to support a Blu(er) Economy

Fisherman Casting Net at Sunset in Mandalay.

Fisherman casting net at sunset in Mandalay. Photo by Pyae Phyo Aung, Pexels.

Official statistics from most coastal countries only account for a fraction of what their fisheries catch, the Sea Around Us data and analyses have demonstrated.

As we observe World Fisheries Day 2025, which aims to highlight the importance of promoting sustainable fish stocks and the rights of small-scale fishing communities, it is crucial to remember that without comprehensive data, managing sustainable fisheries is akin to flying blind.

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The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins, in October 2025.

Reflections from Wuhan: A marine economist walks into a river basin symposium

The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins, in October 2025.

The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins
(October 24–26, 2025).

By Dr. Vicky Lam.

When the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute invited me to Wuhan to deliver a keynote at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins (Oct 24–26, 2025), my first reaction was equal parts excitement and mild panic. I am trained primarily as a marine fisheries economist, so this symposium, which focused on river basins, represented a new domain for me. It was my first time presenting freshwater reconstruction work to an audience whose expertise is deeply rooted in inland systems.

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The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

Daniel Pauly shares his views on the WTO deal on subsidies and the High Seas Treaty

The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

The second week of September 2025 was an interesting one when it comes to ocean-related news.

On September 15, 111 World Trade Organization members – of the 166 that states that belong to the WTO – formally ratified the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which had been two decades in the making and was adopted in June 2022.

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