HKU Bulletin January 2005 (Vol. 6 No. 2)

3 2 Success for the Press H ong Kong University Press’ growing slate of international authors is paying off with increased sales in the overseas market. Its rapidly growing list of books on topics of wide academic interest, and authors from as far afield as the United States, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan, has helped build a strong international sales and distribution network. Particularly exciting is the news of a more than 250% growth in sales to North America in the past year. Winnie Chau, Market ing Manager at the Press, said close collaboration with the University of Washington Press since her visit there in early 2003 had begun to produce results. “With Washington’s help, our books are now selling well and getting noticed in the United States. Of course, having books from American authors has helped enormously”. Pat Soden, Director of the University of Washington Press, added: “With HKUP, sales have grown each year which indicates that your efforts in building a more internationally-focused list are beginning to bear A fr n u d it. i ” t is not just in the United States that sales have been growing rapidly. Chau went on to report that total export sales are up nearly four times (388%) over the last two years. “Hong Kong authors can now get wide international notice for their work through the sales network we have built,“ she said. Colin Day, Publisher of the Hong Kong University Press put this success in broader context. “Building the sales infra-structure has been important, but for this kind of growth we have to be publishing books with genuine international appeal. “Our sales growth resul ts from publ ishing books that have significance for scholars throughout the world. The topics have to interest them and the books have to meet international academic standards. “We have placed great weight on seeking out books with relevance for scholars across the world and applying stringent peer review to ensure that our books are truly up to international scholarly standards. “We are linking the name of The University of Hong Kong with outstanding academic work and advancing the global recognition of the University”. NEWS ROUND-UP State Key Laboratory a First T he University’s strong record in researching Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and bird flu has helped it secure approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology for a State Key Laboratory to be set up on campus. The laboratory will concentrate on emerging infectious diseases, enabling it to play a leading role in controlling these diseases in China and the world. State Key Laboratories provide high-level research and development in 92 fields in China and this is the only one located outside the Mainland. It is also the only one to focus on emerging diseases. Dr Guan Yi, Associate Professor of the Department of Microbiology will be in charge of the laboratory here, together with Professor Yuen Kwok Yung. Their initial focus will be to identify new SARS and bird flu outbreaks, as well as any other new diseases or diseases that are new to Ch “ i N na e . w infectious diseases emerge every year. Our laboratory will be responsible for going to sites, identifying the new virus or pathogen and providing background information to the government so it can devise a strategy for dealing with the matter,” Dr Guan said. Another important duty of the State Key Laboratory is to develop diagnostic reagents for emerging infectious diseases, which will enhance the capabi l ities of other laboratories in the country in recognising these diseases, he said. Researchers here will also investigate treatments for patients and train people from around the country in treatment and the identification of pathogens. The State Key Laboratory is funded with input of $8 million from Hong Kong’s Health, Welfare and Food Bureau. The SAR Government is expected to provide further funds to help maintain the laboratory. A Safety Net for Vulnerable Fish O ur researchers have played a pivotal role in secur ing internat ional protect ion for a popular but increasingl y endangered dinner-table fish. The humphead (Napoleon) wrasse has been listed under Appendix Two of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the first commercially important reef fish to achieve protection from this powerful Convention. From January 2005, when the listing came into effect, international trade must be monitored. Importing countries are required to ensure traders have permits that demonstrate catches have been taken sustainably. The humphead wrasse is a popular luxury item on Hong Kong and Mainland menus, and Hong Kong is the largest importer of the species. The humphead can grow up to two metres long but is slow to mature and reproduce, making populations vulnerable to rapid decl ine when overfished. Humpheads in the Philippines and Indonesia have been mostly fished-out, and fishermen have been going as far as Fiji and the Seychelles for catches. Dr Yvonne Sadovy, Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, helped to prepare the CITES proposal using trade, fishery and biological data collected since the late 1990s. She also chairs the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Specialist Group that investigated the fishery and conservation status of this species, as well as other wrasses and groupers. “The CITES listing is symbolic of growing concerns over the international trade in vulnerable reef fish species. It is an important l isting because it puts a spotl ight on the consequences of uncont rol led t rade and unsustainable fishing practices,” she said. “This listing will help to push the agenda for sustainable resource use in coral reef f ish fisheries, which receive so little management priority. This is surprising, given the importance of reef fishes for food and livelihoods for millions of people in coastal communities in the tropics.” Until recently, opponents of a CITES listing had argued there was little chance of commercial fish becoming extinct because they produced large numbers of off-spring and, even if numbers did drop dramatically, they would become too expensive to catch. But Dr Sadovy and other researchers in her department have demonstrated such fish could indeed become extinct if they were over-fished. The case of the humphead also shows that, with luxury fish, the fishing did not stop, instead the price went up along with the incentive to continue fishing the species. “The CITES proposal was underpinned by strong science and that’s what helped it gain acceptance, even by countries typically opposed to commercial fish listings,” Dr Sadovy said. Major fishing nations, including China, Norway and Iceland, supported the listing. The proposal was endorsed by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations. Dr Sadovy is now co-operating with the SAR Government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to address problems in implementing the CITES listing in Hong Kong. Locally-licensed fishing boats are not required to declare their cargo, so voluntary and legislative controls are being explored to encourage f ishermen to co-operate wi th the CITES requirement. Market and underwater surveys are also being conducted to serve as baselines for determining if the CITES listing helps humphead populations recover. Dr Sadovy is also working with the World Wide Fund for Nature on education campaigns in Hong Kong and Southern China, to make consumers aware of the humphead’s plight. “My experience is that when people know the situation, they are often willing to choose something else to eat. They don’t want to cont r ibute to the elimination of a species,” she said. RESEARCH