OVERFISHING IN SOUTH EAST ASIA, AN ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN CRISIS
by Nicole Tung, laureate of the 15th Carmignac Photojournalism Award

Exhibition on view from March 20 – April 26, 2026
Opening reception: Friday, March 20, 2025, 6 – 9 PM

From March 20 to April 26, 2026, the Bronx Documentary Center – a non-profit gallery and educational space in New York – will present Overfishing in Southeast Asia, a new exhibition by photojournalist Nicole Tung, laureate of the 15th Carmignac Photojournalism Award.

Conceived from a nine-month investigation supported by the Fondation Carmignac, the exhibition offers a rare look at one of the world’s most critical and understudied environmental crises. Southeast Asia produces more than half of the world’s fish, yet its waters are among the most depleted and contested. Tung’s work examines the complex dynamics of industrial fishing in the region and its consequences for marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

Through field reporting in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, Tung documents a highly opaque industry in which access is often limited – especially at sea, where operations remain largely hidden from public scrutiny. Her report explores issues such as the rollback of fishing regulations, the impact on local fishers from geopolitical pressures, and the working conditions of migrant laborers at sea.

The exhibition also addresses emerging responses – from Marine Protected Areas to community-based economic initiative – and raises questions about whether these efforts can withstand the accelerating pressures on oceans and the people who rely on them.

Overfishing in Southeast Asia traces the journey from local ports to global markets, exposing the fragility and human cost behind the seafood supply chains that reach consumers worldwide.

Nicole Tung is a freelance photojournalist, born in Hong Kong. She graduated from New York University in 2009, and freelances for international publications and NGOs, primarily
covering the Middle East region. She has covered the conflicts in Libya and Syria extensively since 2011, focusing on the plight of civilians, the lives of Native American war
veterans in the U.S., the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and the aftermath of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Her work often explores those most affected by conflict and the
consequences of war. Ms. Tung has documented the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022 for publications including Harper’s Magazine, The Washington Post and The
New York Times, and the aftermath of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in 2023. Her work has been exhibited at various festivals worldwide and has received multiple awards for her work. In 2025, Nicole was part of The New York Times’ team who were named Pulitzer finalists for Breaking News Photography, and is also the recipient of the Philip Jones Griffiths Award and the 15th Carmignac Photojournalism Award. She is based in Edinburgh.

The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is a major New York City cultural hub—a non-profit gallery and educational space located in the South Bronx. The BDC uses community-based documentary practice and education to explore vital issues, stimulate critical thought, and drive positive change.


The Carmignac Photojournalism Award
In 2009, while media and photojournalism faced an unprecedented crisis, Edouard Carmignac created the Carmignac Photojournalism Award to support photographers in the field. Every year, it funded the production of an investigative photo reportage on human rights violations and geo-strategic issues in the world. The Fondation Carmignac provided the laureate with financial and human resources to carry out their project and produced both a dedicated website and a traveling exhibition, aiming to shed light on the crises and challenges which the contemporary world is facing.
After 15 years of committed support to photojournalism and this edition dedicated to overfishing in South East Asia, the Award is now put on hold, as the Fondation Carmignac redirects its focus toward the development of its cultural venue on the island of Porquerolles.

Fondation Carmignac
The Fondation Carmignac was founded in 2000 by Edouard Carmignac, a French entrepreneur, CEO and Chairman of asset management company Carmignac. Today, it is structured around three main pillars which developed one after the other. The Carmignac Collection, which has over 300 works of contemporary art, the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, and the Villa Carmignac in Porquerolles which offers temporary exhibitions and a rich cultural programme in a 2000-square-meter art space set in a 15-hectare estate at the heart of a protected site.