ROYAL VISIT
PRESS
RELEASE
Sunday, April 6, 1975
ROYAL COUPLE TO SEE FLOATING PAGEANT AT ABERDEEN
Long History Of Port With Fishing
Aberdeen, always interesting with its picturesque assortment of
fishing craft, will take on extra colour on May 6 when the Queen and the
Duke of Edinburgh visit the harbour to see a water procession organised
in their honour by the fishing community.
The occasion coincides with traditional ceremonies to mark the
Tin Hau festival, and the harbour will, as usual, be heavily congested
with fishing boats that have returned to pay their annual tribute to the
goddess of heaven and protectress of seafarers.
The Aberdeen waterway is always gaily decorated at Tin Hau Festival
time, but this year will be more flags and pennants than usual because
of the historic visit to the harbour by the Royal couple.
The Queen and the Duke will see a parade of various vessels from
a special stand on a floating restaurant. Gliding past will be a fleet of
fishing boats, junks, and sampans.
The fisherman
From its earliest days, Aberdeen has always had a fishing community.
In 1841, a count showed that more than 2,000 residents of Hong Kong Island
were fisherfolk living on boats, most moored at Aberdeen,
followed migratory fish, and then returned to port with their catches.
Today, modern Aberdeen is home for about 1,600 fishing vessels.
Of these, 900 are trawlers, 200 liners, 300 netters, 30 seiners, and the
remainder small fishing craft. The total catch is 30,000 tons of fish a year.
/Active