ON
SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1979
VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR FISHERMEN
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FISHING LORE, TRADITIONALLY, IS PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION AMONG HONG KONG'S FISHERFOLK.
BUT TODAY THIS IS AUGMENTED BY COURSES ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING AND NAVIGATION,
AND MORE THAN 4,000 YOUNG MEN FROM HONG KONG'S FISHING FLEET HAVE, UP TO THE PRESENT, ATTENDED THESE FREE SPECIAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES RUN BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, AND HELD QUALIFIED CERTIFICATES.
THE COXSWAIN, ENGINEERING, NAVIGATION AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COURSES ARE DESIGNED TO HELP THEM IMPROVE OPERATION TECHNIQUES PRODUCTIVITY AND STANDARD OF LIVING, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY,
HE SAID ALL CLASSES WERE CONDUCTED IN THE DAY, LASTING FROM THREE TO SIX MONTHS.
THE YOUNG FISHERMEN LEARNING TO BE COXSWAINS ARE TAUGHT THE USAGE OF SOME INTERNATIONAL SEAFARING SYMBOLS SUCH AS LIGHT, FLAG AND DISTRESS SIGNALS AND MODERN EQUIPMENT.
ENGINEERING CLASSES ARE ARRANGED TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF BOAT ENGINES WHILE IN THE NAVIGATION CLASSES, THEY ARE TAUGHT HOW TO WORK CHARTS, DEAD RECKONING, SEAMANSHIP AND THE USE OF THE COMPASS, SEXTANT AND SO ON.
THE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COURSE IS A NEW ADDITION — AND IS DESIGNED TO HELP FISHERMEN TO RUN THEIR BUSINESS SYSTEMATICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.
HONG KONG'S FISHING FLEET COMPRISES 5,500 VESSELS, OF WHICH 93 PER CENT IS MECHANISED. THEIR CATCH HAS INCREASED FROM YEAR TO YEAR FROM 127,134 TONNES (VALUED AT $349 MILLION) IN 1971 TO 158,324 TONNES ($733 MILLION) IN 1977 - A 25 PER CENT INCREASE BY QUANTITY AND A 110 PER CENT GAIN BY VALUE.