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Dried abalone being weighed in a Hong Kong market © Wilson Lau / TRAFFIC

South African abalone South African dried abalone consumption and trade in Hong Kong

Dried abalone being weighed in a Hong Kong market © Wilson Lau / TRAFFIC

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Published 8 February 2018

  English 

Poached Abalone from South Africa is Flowing into Hong Kong Markets

Hong Kong, 9 February 2018—A new TRAFFIC report reveals a thriving trade in poached South African abalone Haliotis midae in Hong Kong, where the marine mollusc is considered a delicacy in Cantonese cuisine. Over the last 20 years, the illegal harvest of abalone in South Africa has exceeded the legal quotas, with criminal networks poaching and smuggling wild abalone to Hong Kong, which imports about 90% of all dried South African abalone.

An assessment of South African dried abalone consumption and trade in Hong Kong

Report author(s):
Wilson Lau

Publication date:
February 2018


Notes:

Additional photos and captions.


About USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is responsible for the majority of overseas development assistance from the United States Government and works to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing security and prosperity for America and the world

About Wildlife TRAPS

The USAID-funded Wildlife Trafficking, Response, Assessment and Priority Setting (Wildlife TRAPS) Project is an initiative that is designed to secure a transformation in the level of co-operation between an international community of stakeholders who are impacted by illegal wildlife trade between Africa and Asia. The project is designed to increase understanding of the true character and scale of the response required, to set priorities, identify intervention points, and test non-traditional approaches with project partners.

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TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organisation working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable, for the benefit of the planet and people.