XN000022-1977-04-10 — Page 1

香港政府

GIS

新聞處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 1977

LOCAL FISH PRODUCTION ******

HONG KONG'S FISHERMEN, WHO MAKE UP LESS THAN TWO PER CENT OF THE TOTAL ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE POPULATION, SUPPLY NINE OUT OF EVERY TEN FRESH MARINE FISH WE EAT.

WHILE THERE HAS BEEN A DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE FISHERMEN, AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF ABOUT TWO PER CENT PER ANNUM, CATCHES HÁVE BEEN ON THE INCREASE OVER THE YEARS.

THIS IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE HIGH PRODUCTIVITY OF HONG KONG'S 5,500 FISHING VESSELS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH (SOME 93 PER CENT) AŘE NOW MECHANISED AND MANY EQUIPPED WITH SOPHISTICATED FISHING GEAR AND NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT.

WITHIN SIX YEARS THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF FISH AND MARINE PRODUCTS HARVESTED HAS RISEN FROM 121,500 METRIC TONS, VALUED AT $316 MILLION, IN 1970 TO 156,900 METRIC TONS AT A VALUE OF $643 MILLION LAST YEAR - AN INCREASE OF 29 PER CENT BY QUANTITY AND 103 PER CENT BY VALUE.

HONG KONG PEOPLE ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE A GREAT APPETITE FOR FRESH FISH AND ON AVERAGE A PERSON EATS SOME 70 POUNDS OF THEM A YEAR. ABOUT 50 POUNDS ARE MARINE FISH AND 20 POUNDS FRESH WATER FISH. OTHER MARINE PRODUCTS, MAINLY SHRIMPS, CRABS AND OYSTERS, ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS GASTRONOMIC FIGURE.

THE AMOUNT OF FRESH MARINE FISH LANDED LAST YEAR WAS SOME 96,300 METRIC TONS. LOCAL FISH FARMERS SUPPLIED ANOTHER 5,182 METRIC TONS OF FRESH WATER FISH TO THE CONSUMER MARKET.

WHILE WE ARE ALMOST SELF-SUFFICIENT IN OUR SUPPLY OF MARINE FISH, FOR FRESH WATER VARIETIES, WE EAT SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER AMOUNTS OF IMPORTED FISH. EVERY EIGHT AND A HALF FRESH WATER FISH OUT OF TEN ON OUR DINING TABLE COME FROM CHINA AND MACAU.

A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE FISH LANDED OR REARED ARE DIRECTLY SENT TO THE KITCHEN, BUT SOME ARE SALTED, OTHERS DRIED AND SOME ARE TURNED INTO FISH SAUCE, FISH MAW, FISH MEAL, OR EVEN FISH OIL AND FERTILIZER.

/OTHER

Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tal: 5-233191

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