HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954
fire protection duties. A number of fires did occur in plantation areas but they were promptly extinguished and the damage was not great. As the trees in most of the plantations are very small, damage by illegal woodcutting was negligible but the Forestry Division is still responsible for protection of the vegetation in other parts of the Colony and a large section of the staff is permanently employed on patrol work. In late summer there was a serious outbreak of defoliating caterpillars on pine in the Fanling area, but the pest did not appear in large numbers in other localities and none of the recently established plantations was damaged.
Fisheries. Fisheries technical and administrative services are organized as a separate division of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
The main primary product of Hong Kong is marine fish and the fishing fleet consists of about 6,000 junk- type fishing craft, of various sizes and designs, and 13 steel trawlers of British registry. They are manned by a sea fishing population of 53,000 who operate from the various ports and fishing centres of the Colony.
The Chinese junk type vessels are built locally from imported timber. China fir is the most popular of these but due to shortages in the current year more teak and yacal have been used. Almost 95% of the fishing fleet is owner-operated and about 5% owner- directed by fish dealers and fishing companies.
The inshore fishing grounds for purse seiners, gill netters, shrimp trawlers and small liners is confined to the waters up to 20 fathoms south of the Colony.
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