Asia's swelling affluent population is threatening the world's fish resources and the ocean's eco-system, according to reports. 

The growing Asian taste for dishes like shark's fin soup and rare species of fish are forcing fishermen to fish for endangered species, even if it means using harmful or illegal means, the United Nations Environment Programme in the Philippines said, at a recent forum. 

Fish numbers reportedly peaked at 80 million tonnes annually in the 1980's, a population which will almost certainly never return.

The comments highlight how the rising wealth of Asia can bring with it some of the concerns that have accompanied the expanding prosperity of the developed West, such as the fears about over-fishing and pollution of air, water and land that gained traction in the 1960s and subsequent decades.

According to the "World Aquaculture 2010" report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 89.1 per cent of global fishery production in 2008, with China alone contributing 62.3 per cent. China is also the largest global consumer of seafood, followed by Japan at around 694 million metric tons and 582 million metric tons per year, respectively. 

UNEP said that as much as 32 per cent of the world's fish stocks are "overexploited, depleted or recovering." Nearly 50 per cent of the mangrove forests and a fifth of coral reefs that serve as spawning grounds for fish are also destroyed.

The problem is that in Asia - like many other countries - very expensive foods carry a certain social cachet. Even though it has scant nutritional value, sharks fin soup is considered a must-have at many affluent weddings and social occasions. 

"People don't want to eat the little anchovies anymore when they can eat a nice snapper or grouper -- much nicer fish shows much more of your wealth," Jacqueline Alder, head of UNEP's marine, coastal and freshwater office told a group of reporters at the conference.