PRIMARY PRODUCTION
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area. By the end of the year, 18 727 dogs had been humanely destroyed and another 28 379 licensed and inoculated against rabies.
As a standard practice, all imported dogs and cats, other than those from Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, are subject to six months' quarantine. Any dog that bites a person is required to be detained for observation in government kennels for a period of seven days. All cattle and pigs imported for food are quarantined on arrival in Hong Kong. Importation for breeding purposes is also subject to strict control.
Fishing Industry
Marine fish constitute one of Hong Kong's most important primary products. More than 150 fish species of commercial importance frequent the waters of the adjacent continental shelf. Most important of these in terms of landed weight are golden thread, scads, lizardfish, big-eyes, sardines, conger-pike eels and croakers.
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Total estimated production from the two major sectors marine capture and culture fisheries amounted to 175 000 tonnes with a wholesale value of $1,420 million in 1982. These figures represent a decrease of four per cent in weight but an increase of three per cent in value compared with 1981. Of the total production, 96 per cent in weight came from marine capture and four per cent from culture fisheries. In terms of wholesale value, 89 per cent came from marine capture and 11 per cent from culture fisheries.
An estimated 28 000 fishermen work a fleet of 4 800 vessels, of which over 92 per cent are mechanised. There are four major types of fishing in terms of gear: trawling, lining, gill-netting and purse-seining. Trawling is the most important, accounting for 65 per cent or 65 000 tonnes of marine fish landed in 1982. The total landed catch of live and fresh marine fish available for local consumption in 1982 amounted to 74 000 tonnes, with a wholesale value of $500 million. This represented 89 per cent of the local consumer demand.
Pond fish farming is the most important culture activity. Fish ponds covering 1800 hectares are in the New Territories, principally in the Yuen Long district. Traditional pond fish farming is similar to that practised in China for hundreds of years. Several different carp species are cultured in the same pond, each deriving its food from a different source and so making the utmost use of the nutrients introduced. Owing to the increasing urbanisation of the New Territories, the land area devoted to fish ponds has gradually declined. During the year, they yielded 7 000 tonnes, or 15 per cent of the local consumption of freshwater fish.
In the past decade there has been considerable development in marine fish culture. Young fish, captured from their natural environment, are fattened in cages suspended from rafts in sheltered bays throughout Hong Kong, particularly in the eastern New Territories. In 1982, live marine fish supplied by this activity from 50 culture areas amounted to 1 000 tonnes valued at $58 million.
Marketing
Much of the wholesale marketing of primary products - particularly fresh foods is the responsibility of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, and of the vegetable and fish marketing organisations. During 1982, 34 per cent of the total quantity of locally-produced vegetables, and 75 per cent of the total landings of marine fish, were sold through the organisations.
The Vegetable Marketing Organisation operates under the Agricultural Products (Marketing) Ordinance, which also provides for the establishment of a Marketing Advisory Board to advise the Director of Marketing (the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries). The