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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
Foot-and-mouth disease, which first appeared in 1954, has practically died out in the farming areas, although many cases of the disease are discovered amongst freshly imported slaughter stock in the quarantine yards. Government measures are taken to keep the Colony free of rinderpest by annual inoculation of all bovine stock. Newcastle disease of poultry is now kept under control by inoculation. Some 2,000,000 doses of vaccine are used annually.
FISHERIES
Marine fish is the main primary product of Hong Kong, and the fishing fleet is the largest of any port in the Colonies. It consists of over 6,000 junks, of various sizes and designs, and 32 Japanese-type trawlers, 13 of which are of British registry. They are manned by a sea fishing population of approx. 56,000, chiefly Tanka, operating from various ports and fishing centres, the most important of which are Aber- deen and Shaukiwan (on Hong Kong Island), Cheung Chau, Tai O, Tai Po and Sai Kung.
Junks are built locally from imported timber, of which China fir is the most popular. Due to continued shortages of fir, however, more teak and yacal have been used. About 95% of the fleet is owner-operated, the rest being owner- directed, by fish dealers and fishing companies.
The inshore fishing grounds for purse seiners, gill netters, shrimp trawlers and small liners are confined to the waters up to 20 fathom South of the Colony. The bigger junk trawlers and long liners have gradually extended their area of operation and now work in waters from 30-70 fathoms along the coast of Kwangtung, from 111° 30′ to 116° E. and 20° to 22° 30' N. A large number of these deep-sea vessels are sailing craft, and during the typhoon season, from July to October, their crews occupy themselves with repairing junks, nets, rigging, sails and equipment.
The mechanized fleet increased from 890 to 1,342 vessels in 1956, the major increases being among small long liners,