fishing vessel built according to Chinese standards of fishing vessel construction but at the same time suitable for economic mechanization has been under consideration by Government for several years and in the spring of 1951, as the first result of a grant for this purpose from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund, a decision was taken that in view of the small fisherman's desire to mechanize his vessel the proposed experiment in construction should be based on the purse seiner type of fishing craft.
The main types of fish landed are mackerel, scad, anchovies, lizard fish, golden thread, croaker and yellow croaker.
The amount of fish marketed in Hong Kong for the years 1946/51 is as follows:—
FRESH FISH
QUANTITY
WHOLESALE VALUE
1946
1,904.05 tons
1947
2,653.79
1948
7,251.07
>>
$ 3,120,457
3,355,513 8,651,356
1949
10,822.38
>>
17,689,028
1950
16,425.48
24,414,750
1951
22,138.33
30,424,549
SALT/DRIED FISH
1946
12,592.79 tons
$18,476,431
1947
11,266.19
22
11,166,576
1948 14,644.76
11,941,515
1949
16,108.63
>>
18,740,370
1950
16,304.28
13,873,411
1951
8,016.79
""
Fish Marketing Organization
8,687,688
The wholesale marketing of all fish except pond and shell fish is controlled, the fish being auctioned at Government-organized wholesale markets. These markets are situated at Kennedy Town, Shaukiwan and Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island, at Yaumati in the Kowloon area, and at Taipo in the New Territories. Fish sold at Aberdeen is used chiefly for making sauce.
The Organization undertakes the collection and transport of fish to the wholesale markets from the collecting depôts and posts which have been established in the main fishing villages all over the Colony. Fishermen who operate through these depôts and posts may either leave their produce in the hands of the Organization's staff who look after it until it is sold, or accompany their own fish to the markets.
Once
51