FIVE MINUTES WITH

Five minutes with Andy Cornish

Alec Lastimosa speaks to the Global Shark Programme Leader at WWF Hong Kong

‘Restoring the balance’ in WWF’s shark conservation programme since 2014, Andy Cornish has worked in over 20 countries, improving fisheries management across Asia and managing unsustainable consumption in Hong Kong.

On Shark Awareness Day (July 14), we sat down with Andy Cornish, Head of World Wide Fund’s global shark and ray conservation programme, to talk about the secrets of Hong Kong’s waters and what we can do to protect them.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Cornish took his PhD in marine ecology at the Swire Institute of Marine Science. Being one of the first diving scientists studying fish in the city, he was able to record over 100 species of fish that had never been documented before, with more species than the entire Caribbean. “We are on the edge of a very unique area of the coral triangle, meaning Hong Kong is the most diverse place for fish and sharks in the world.”

“Southside’s jewel is the Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve. If you are lucky enough to dive there, you can see the kinds of fish you rarely see.”

Unlike other topics such as climate change and biodiversity conservation, sharks always manage to pique people’s interest. “Sharks always get people’s attention, whether they are terrified of them or think they are the coolest thing on the planet,” says Cornish.

However, people often have a distorted view of the animal. “Movies like Jaws embedded this idea that sharks are large animals coming out of water with teeth and blood. It gives such a reputation that people are instantly fearful of them and it is such a disconnect with what sharks are actually like.”

The vast majority of sharks are no more dangerous than a domestic cat. On average, snakes kill 20,000 to 50,000 people a year, while sharks only kill six. With over 500 species of sharks and new ones discovered all the time, less than ten of them are serious threats to people.

Due to intense overfishing, many shark species have disappeared from our ecosystems. “I always tell people, if you want to see what ground zero is like for sharks, come here. There used to be hammerhead sharks, but they too have been completely annihilated,” says Cornish.

If we want fisheries or managers to care about sharks and treat them with a higher priority, it must come from society itself. Beach cleanups, ghost net removals or even joining organisations that support marine conservation efforts show that people want the government to do something about it.

“It’s right here, right now. Providing stories of hope, particularly sharing peoples stories is undoubtedly what we have to do.”

For more information on how you can save our sharks and oceans, visit

sharks.panda.org