Napoleons Safe in Sabah
As part of their effort to preserve the natural heritage of Sabah’s marine environment, the Semporna Islands Darwin Project (SIDP) recently rescued 25 juvenile humphead wrasse (often referred to as Napoleon wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus) by purchasing them from local fishermen who were holding the fish until they reached optimal size to sell.
SIDP and Sabah Parks carefully transported and released the fish to a protected reef in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP), which is Sabah’s largest marine park, gazetted in 2004 and encompassing 340 square kilometres of marine area plus 10 square kilometres of land.
Despite the fact that Napoleon wrasse are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the fish are a popular dish in many parts of Asia. It’s common to see the fish being served in restaurants in cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, often for exorbitant prices.So long as this type of consumer pressure on remaining populations of Napoleon wrasse continues, the fish will continue to have a difficult time maintaining healthy populations.
Fortunately, the newly released Napoleons seem to be doing well; SIDP and Sabah Parks will dive the area regularly to check on their progress, and hopefully within a few years, regulations will be put into place in the TSMP to provide complete protection for these noble fish.