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and restaurants. My motion therefore recommends that on the one hand, a system should be introduced under which coral-reef fish over five kilograms be tested before being sold and imported and on the other, a practical way be worked out in conjunction with the Department of Health (D of H) and the AFD to commission science research institutes to develop rapid testing medicine or method to solve the examination problem.
There are several justifications for the recommendation:
(1) Deep-sea fish examination system is already in place abroad. There is no reason why Hong Kong cannot do the same;
(2) In fact, the AFD has all the information about the major importers (of deep-sea fish) of Hong Kong, which number about 20 while the small and medium ones are no more than 40. Accordingly, the AFD has all the information about these deep-sea fish dealers and their imports. They are not ignorant of the places from which the fishing-boats come. They actually know the situation;
(3) The AFD has all the information about which part of the waters the poisonous fish came from, how they were delivered to Hong Kong, their species, their weights, etc;
(4) Most of the fish imported to Hong Kong are safe. Only a small amount of deep-sea coral-reef fish contain ciguatoxin. According to the AFD, a total of 184,000 tonnes of live and frozen seafood was consumed last year, of which only 2,200 tonnes was deep-sea coral-reef fish. With the scope narrowed down, I consider that a seafood quarantine system to be entirely feasible, through which efforts may be focussed on high-risk seafood.
(5) Lastly, these giant coral-reef fish have a strong life. They could survive under the quarantine system before being imported and sold.
I therefore hope that Members will support the motion. If the motion is carried, the AFD, the D of H and the Council will be urged to study jointly the establishment of a quarantine system and a sale recording and recovery system, to actively adopt international advanced methods of testing, and to commission science research institutes to develop rapid testing medicine to safeguard the health of citizens and to ensure normal sale of non-high-risk seafood. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
Mr. Li Wah-ming (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, after I received Mr. WONG Kwok-hing's motion, I studied the wording carefully to find out what exactly the difference was between this motion and the one I moved at the monthly meeting in March, in which I proposed that an import quarantine and source registration system be set up. The answer is very clear. They are basically the same. The only difference is that I focussed on shellfish while the
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and restaurants. My motion therefore recommends that on the one hand, a system should be introduced under which coral-reef fish over five kilograms be tested before being sold and imported and on the other, a practical way be worked out in conjunction with the Department of Health (D of H) and the AFD to commission science research institutes to develop rapid testing medicine or method to solve the examination problem.
There are several justifications for the recommendation:
(1) Deep-sea fish examination system is already in place abroad. There is no reason why Hong Kong cannot do the same;
(2) In fact, the AFD has all the information about the major importers (of deep-sea fish) of Hong Kong, which number about 20 while the small and medium ones are no more than 40. Accordingly, the AFD has all the information about these deep-sea fish dealers and their imports. They are not ignorant of the places from which the fishing-boats come. They actually know the situation;
(3) The AFD has all the information about which part of the waters the poisonous fish came from, how they were delivered to Hong Kong, their species, their weights, etc;
(4) Most of the fish imported to Hong Kong are safe. Only a small amount of deep-sea coral-reef fish contain ciguatoxin. According to the AFD, a total of 184,000 tonnes of live and frozen seafood was consumed last year, of which only 2,200 tonnes was deep-sea coral-reef fish. With the scope narrowed down, I consider that a seafood quarantine system to be entirely feasible, through which efforts may be focussed on high-risk seafood.
(5) Lastly, these giant coral-reef fish have a strong life. They could survive under the quarantine system before being imported and sold.
I therefore hope that Members will support the motion. If the motion is carried, the AFD, the D of H and the Council will be urged to study jointly the establishment of a quarantine system and a sale recording and recovery system, to actively adopt international advanced methods of testing, and to commission science research institutes to develop rapid testing medicine to safeguard the health of citizens and to ensure normal sale of non-high-risk seafood. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
Mr. Li Wah-ming (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, after I received Mr. WONG Kwok-hing's motion, I studied the wording carefully to find out what exactly the difference was between this motion and the one I moved at the monthly meeting in March, in which I proposed that an import quarantine and source registration system be set up. The answer is very clear. They are basically the same. The only difference is that I focussed on shellfish while the
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