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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1993
• MEASURES TO HELP MARICULTURISTS CONSIDERED
MEMBERS OF THE AQUACULTURE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES TODAY (MONDAY) DISCUSSED AT ITS MEETING THE RECENT FISH KILLS AT THE CHEUNG SHA WAN FISH CULTURE ZONE.
THEY SUPPORTED A NUMBER OF MEASURES TO BE TAKEN ΤΟ HELP THE MARICULTURISTS.
THE MEETING NOTED THAT BASED ON INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT (AFD), THE RECENT SERIOUS FISH MORTALITY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROLONGED COLD WEATHER DURING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD WHEN LARGE NUMBER OF FISH KILLS OCCURRED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY IN FISH CULTURE ZONES WITH SHALLOW WATER AND IN BAYS FACING THE NORTHEAST.
MARICULTURISTS WERE CONCERNED THAT DUMPING BARGES THE NEARBY WATERS OF THE CHEUNG SHA WAN FISH CULTURE ZONE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE WATER QUALITY OF THE ZONE.
PASSING IN WOULD HAVE
AFD.OFFICERS INFORMED. THE MEETING THAT RESULTS OF A THREE-WEEK SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT LAST DECEMBER INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO DETERIORATION OF WATER QUALITY AT CHEUNG SHA WAN.
ALSO, IN RESPONSE TO AFD'S REQUEST, THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY IN CHARGE OF THE NEW AIRPORT SITE PREPARATION WORKS HAD AGREED AND WAS LIAISING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT TO AMEND THE LICENSING CONDITIONS FOR DREDGING AND DUMPING ΤΟ INCLUDE A WATER QUALITY MONITORING STATION JUST OUTSIDE CHEUNG SHA WAN FISH CULTURE ZONE.
THE MEETING ALSO SUPPORTED AFD TO CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICE ΤΟ REQUEST THE WORKS DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED TO PRESCRIBE THE ROUTE OF DUMPING BARGES ΤΟ AVOID THE WATERS IN FRONT OF THE CHEUNG SHA WAN FISH CULTURE ZONE.
AS REGARDS MARICULTURISTS' REQUEST TO RELOCATE SOME OF THEM TEMPORARILY TO TAI LEI ISLAND, THE MEETING CONSIDERED THAT THE SITE WAS NOT SUITABLE AS IT WAS CLOSER TO OTHER DREDGING AREAS.
IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THERE WERE SOME OTHER PROJECTS, SUCH AS SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT, BEING PLANNED NEAR TAI LEI ISLAND,
HOWEVER, MEMBERS SUGGESTED THE GOVERNMENT ΤΟ EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF FURTHER EXTENDING THE CHEUNG SHA WAN FISH CULTURE TO SPACE OUT THE FISH RAFTS AND ENABLE BETTER WATER CIRCULATION.
ZONE
ON THE WATER QUALITY OF OTHER FISH CULTURE ZONES, MEMBERS NOTED THAT THE AFD AND CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT HAD KEPT ON MONITORING THE SIX DESIGNATED WATER MONITORING STATIONS AROUND THE BORROW AREA AT NORTH TATHONG CHANNEL AND THE RESULTS WERE FOUND TO BE SATISFACTORY.
AT TODAY'S MEETING, CONSULTATION DOCUMENT OF THE STRATEGY REVIEW. VIEWS WOULD FOR CONSIDERATION.
MEMBERS ALSO DISCUSSED THE SECOND SOUTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT BE FORWARDED TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT
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