168
R.A. BOWLER, D.S.C. YANG AND A.J.E. SMITH
quota was fixed for a duration of five years so that oystermen would have a chance to recover. The Chinese oyster farms are in practice allowed to deal privately and individually with Hong Kong merchants after quota deduction to sell the remainder of the crop. In order to encourage farmers to deal with official organs in selling the remainder, however, they receive a better than normal exchange rate from the Chinese government for oysters exported through the customs. As another incentive to use the official route, farmers are permitted to import tax-free personal household goods and production gear.
The official tonnages of fresh oyster meat exported (i.e. those which have passed through customs) from China to Hong Kong are shown on Figure 2. The figures provided by the Shenzhen Aquaproduct Company included some oysters in shell. These have been converted to wet-weight in Figure 2, making the assumption that wet-weight is 10% of the total weight including the shell. About double the tonnage is exported unofficially directly via direct sales to Hong Kong merchants into Lau Fau Shan by boat despite the incentives to use the official route. The reasons for the "unofficial" trade may stem from the following:
(a) Relatively loose enforcement of import/export control on both sides of the Bay;
(b) Tedious and troublesome customs procedures;
(c) Various surcharges have to be paid e.g. 10% tax to aquaproduct company, 0.2% handling charge to Bank of China, and possibly others;
(d) a two months delay in receiving payment; and
(e) selling direct to Hong Kong merchants provides foreign exchange at the best rates.
The Chinese administration is clearly aware of the unofficial trade but apparently not prepared to take any vigorous action yet.
Oyster spawning and spat collection
The life-cycle of the commercial oyster can be conveniently divided into three major stages: (i) spawning, spat fall and collection, (ii) growth from first year to three or four year age, and (iii)