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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1980
NEW FISHERIES RESEARCH VESSEL COMMISSIONED
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A NEW FISHERIES RESEARCH VESSEL OF THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT WAS COMMISSIONED BY LADY CATER IN A TRADITIONAL CEREMONY AT JOSS HOUSE BAY TODAY.
THE $10 MILLION COMBINATION SEINER-TRAWLER, THE TAI SHUN, WILL REPLACE THE 28-YEAR-OLD CAPE ST MARY, WHICH HAD BEEN SUPPLYING HONG KONG FISHERMEN WITH INFORMATION ON INSHORE FISHING GROUNDS FOR A DECADE.
SPEAKING AT THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY, THE ACTING GOVERNOR SIR JACK CATER SAID THE NEW VESSEL WAS A FURTHER EXAMPLE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TOWARDS MAINTAINING AN EFFICIENT, VIABLE FISHING FLEET.
+THE LOCAL FISHING FLEET NOW NUMBERS SOME 5 500 VESSELS OF WHICH 96 PER CENT ARE MECHANISED – AND LANDS SOME 88 000 METRIC TONNES OF FISH PER ANNUM VALUED AT NEARLY HK$400 MILLION.
+THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 64 PER CENT IN FISH LANDED SINCE THE FIRST MODERN HULL-FORM VESSELS WERE INTRODUCED IN 1965,+ HE SAID.
SIR JACK NOTED THAT INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY HAD BROUGHT GREATER PROSPERITY TO FISHERMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND DESPITE ESCALATING FUEL PRICES THE NEW TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT INTRODUCED AND CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF LOW-INTEREST LOANS WOULD ENABLE ENTERPRISING FISHERMEN TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE REWARDS FOR THE IR LABOUR.
LADY CATER MARKED THE OCCASION BY PULLING A CORD TO BREAK THE SHIP'S PENNANT AND BY UNVEILLING A PLAQUE.
SHE SAID SHE HOPED THE TAI SHUN WOULD HAVE A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER AND EXTENDED GOOD FORTUNE TO ALL WHO SERVE ON BOARD THE VESSEL.
EARLIER, THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, MR J.M. RIDDELL-SWAN, ACCOMPANIED BY THE MASTER OF THE TAI SHUN, PAID HOMAGE TO TIN HAU, THE GODDESS OF ALL SEAFARERS,
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FITTED OUT WITH THE LATEST NAVIGATIONAL AIDS INCLUDING SATELLITE NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT, THE TAI SHUN WILL SEARCH DEEPER WATERS WHERE FISH ARE ABUNDANT AND WILL BE ABLE TO DETECT THE TYPE AND QUANTITY OF FISH BY ECHO SOUNDS. THIS INFORMATION IS THEN RELAYED TO HONG KONG'S 35 700 FISHERMEN VIA THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT,
OTHER FEATURES OF THE 32-METRE VESSEL WHICH CAN CRUISE AT 11 KNOTS INCLUDE A CONTROLLED PITCH PROPELLER, MULTI-VANE RUDDER AND FIXED NOZZLE.
/THE SOPHISTICATED