Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn celebrates Coral Triangle Day on June 9 with responsibly-caught seafood

Bali, Indonesia – Award-winning culinary sensation Bobby Chinn joins the rest of the region in celebrating the Coral Triangle Day on 9 June 2012 by preparing sumptuous dishes using responsibly-caught seafood in selected restaurants in Bali, Indonesia.

“The Coral Triangle Day is about celebrating the wonders of our oceans and what individuals can do to help protect it. As a chef, I would like to do my part by helping raise awareness on the importance of patronizing responsibly-caught seafood and the many creative ways to enjoy them,” said Bobby Chinn.

Overfishing and destructive fishing are among the most pressing issues facing the Coral Triangle – the world’s center of marine biodiversity.

The Coral Triangle, which spans the seas of six countries in Asia-Pacific including Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste, contains more than 3,000 species of reef fish.

This region is also a nursery ground and migratory pathway for commercially-valuable tuna species such as Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Skipjack, producing almost a fifth of the total global tuna catch.

However, impacts arising from overfishing and the use of destructive fishing practices have posed major challenges to the sustainability of Coral Triangle resources, on which more than 120 million people depend for food and livelihood.

Increasing demand for seafood from growing markets in Asia, North America, and Europe are depleting the Coral Triangle’s fish stocks and heavily impacting its fragile marine ecosystems.

“Fish are being taken out of the seas faster than they can be replenished, and in highly destructive means. This is why we all need to be more conscious of the seafood on our plates and start asking questions on where they came from and how they were caught,” said Chinn.

“This is why I am proud to be part of the Coral Triangle Day so we can put the spotlight on the importance of oceans to our daily lives and take action to conserve it,” added Chinn.

Bobby will be making special appearances and doing cooking demonstrations at selected restaurants in Seminyak including Gado Gado Restaurant, Métis Restaurant, in Uluwatu at the Semara Luxury Villa Resort, as well as local village restaurants in Kedonganan Village in Jimbaran Bay.

The TV host and restaurateur will be preparing mouth-watering dishes using responsibly-sourced seafood including grouper, prawns, and tuna and other locally-sourced ingredients.

An interpretation of World Oceans Day in this part of the world, the Coral Triangle Day brings together individuals, organizations, and establishments from different parts of the region on one special day to celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of this region and to promote the importance of oceans through varied activities including: beach clean-ups; sustainable seafood dinners; educational exhibitions; marine-themed bazaars; and beach parties.

Visit www.thecoraltriangle.com/day to find out more about the various events happening around the region on June 9 and how to participate.

ENDS

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Editors note:

• §  The Coral Triangle—the nursery of the seas—is the world’s center of marine life, encompassing around 6 million sq km of ocean across six countries in Asia-Pacific – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
• §  It is home to 76% of the world’s known coral species, 37% of the world’s coral reef fish species, and commercially-valuable species such as tuna, whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, including 6 of the world’s 7 known species of marine turtles.
• §  The Coral Triangle directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people and contains key spawning and nursery grounds for tuna. Its reef and coastal systems also underpin a growing tourism sector.
• §  WWF is working with governments, local communities, businesses, and consumers to promote sustainable development in this region. For information on Coral Triangle go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle 

For further information:

Paolo P. Mangahas, Communications Manager, WWF Coral Triangle Programme, Tel: +603 7803 3772, Email: pmangahas@wwf.org.my

About WWF

WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries.  WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.   panda.org/news for latest news and media resources