From threatened waters to dinner tables: Study shows six endangered species sold as fish maw in Malaysia and Singapore shops

Malay Mail

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — DNA from six critically endangered and endangered fish species has been found in fish maw products sold in stores across Malaysia and Singapore, according to a new study released last week.
Researchers identified DNA from the European eel and large yellow croaker — both listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) — in samples taken from shops in both countries, The Straits Times reported today.
Eleven of those samples came from the European eel, despite the European Union banning its export in 2010.
'It's not that surprising that eel maw has been sold, because you can find the eels here,' National University of Singapore (NUS) Assistant Professor Benjamin Wainwright, one of the study's authors, was quoted as saying.
'But it's interesting that the European eel is still making it here, because that should have been banned a long time ago.'
The most commonly identified species was the blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus), which accounted for 58 of the 480 samples tested.
The blackspotted croaker is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List – meaning it is at risk of becoming endangered in the near future.
Four other endangered species in the fish maw samples were listed as: the cassava croaker, American eel, fourfinger threadfin, and iridescent shark.
The findings were published on June 24 in the journal Conservation Letters by Wainwright and Seah Ying Giat of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
Fish maw is made from the dried swim bladder of fish.
It is considered a delicacy as well as a social status symbol for the rich that is believed to offer health benefits that is widely consumed across South-east Asia and East Asia.
Between October and December 2023, the NUS-UMT researchers collected fish maw samples from Malaysian shops, followed by stores in Singapore from January to April 2024.
A total of 39 different fish species were identified after the DNA extraction from 118 samples in Malaysia and 362 in Singapore.
According to Wainwright, identifying species by sight is nearly impossible as the fish maw has been heavily processed.
'Fish maw has been processed, flattened, cleaned and washed.
'You can't determine what species the maw comes from without using genetic methods – so we have no idea of what species are involved in this trade in South-east Asia,' he was quoted as saying.
Fresh fish maw is also served at some restaurants in Malaysia. — Picture by Ethan Lau
He added that trade regulations are further complicated by broad commodity classifications.
'Commodity codes are meant to say, this is shark fin, this is shrimp, this is fish maw – but at the moment, all these products are lumped together and imported as dried fish goods.'
Chester Gan, marine lead at Singapore's World Wide Fund for Nature urged consumers and companies to consider sustainability.
'Given that fish maw may originate from fisheries with little data, endangered species, or unsustainable fishing practices that harm vulnerable marine life, we urge both consumers and businesses to consider more sustainable alternatives,' he told The Straits Times.
Gan also called on businesses to review their supply chains to ensure responsible sourcing.
Wainwright said the best approach was to avoid fish maw altogether if the species, country of origin or sustainability could not be verified.
'The hope is, as more people become aware of the damage caused by unsustainable fishing, they may turn away from products of unknown origin and towards seafood from sustainable fisheries.
'Otherwise, when a species targeted for fish maw gets fished out, it's very likely we'll turn to another species and fish that one out, and then do the same for the next ones,' he added.