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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
Fisheries Industry
Fresh fish is one of Hong Kong's most important primary products. In 2017, the amount of fish caught and fish reared in ponds and floating cages at sea totalled about 131,200 tonnes, with a value of $2.7 billion.
Some 6,500 vessels were licensed as Class III vessels, meaning fishing vessels, under the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Certification and Licensing) Regulation. These included larger vessels operating mainly in the South China Sea and smaller vessels in local waters. About 10,600 local fishermen worked on these vessels, which had a quota of 4,300 Mainland deckhands. The total catch weighed about 127,554 tonnes, with an estimated wholesale value of $2.6 billion, and provided some 37,000 tonnes of fish for local consumption.
As at end-2017, 938 AFCD-licensed mariculturists were operating in 26 designated fish culture zones. They supplied consumers with some 1,000 tonnes of live marine fish valued at $78 million during the year.
Freshwater and brackish water fish are reared in fish ponds located mainly in the northwestern New Territories. In 2017, pond fish culture yielded some 2,540 tonnes of fish, making up 4 per cent of local freshwater fish consumption.
All local fishing vessels operating in Hong Kong waters are required to register with the department under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance, to control the number of fishing vessels and maintain an appropriate level of fishing in local waters.
The department also combats illegal fishing practices, including trawling, to ensure sustainable development of the industry and to conserve fisheries resources in Hong Kong waters. Five cases of illegal fishing were convicted in 2017.
At the same time, the department helps the industry cope with challenges, including providing credit facilities to fishermen, owners of fish-collecting vessels and fish farmers for sustainable development and general productive purposes. It offers free training courses to fishermen during the annual fishing moratorium and Chinese New Year. A $500 million Sustainable Fisheries Development Fund, set up in 2014, helps fishermen adopt sustainable and high value- added methods of operation, and subsidises programmes and research to enhance the industry's competitiveness. By end-2017, six applications on aquaculture and two on fisheries- related eco-tourism projects had been approved, involving a total commitment of about $41 million.
To promote sustainable development of the aquaculture industry, the department conducts studies and provides technical support to fish farmers. Under its Good Aquaculture Practices Programme and Fish Health Inspection Programme, the department helps fish farmers prevent, diagnose and contain fish disease; collects water and fish samples for analysis during regular visits to the fish farms; and holds seminars to equip farmers with new techniques and good management practices. The voluntary Accredited Fish Farm Scheme tags the accredited fish of 119 participating farms for easy recognition. More than 75,895kg of accredited fish were sold under the scheme in 2017.
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