Food tourists from China are flocking to Semporna to eat the Humphead Wrasse – valued but banned in China – and the consumption rate is concerning conservationists.

“SIS! BERAPA?” a fish seller shouts out to marine biologist Dr Achier Chung. “Sister! How much are you offering?” He lifts a fish to the water surface. In his palm, the fish flaps its pectoral fin.

Chung is at Semporna’s live seafood market, where most seafood is sold live, without price tags or weighing scales. Instead, sellers and buyers – largely tourists – negotiate through loud bargaining, hand gestures, and phone calculators.