XN000022-1977-09-30 — Page 5

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Friday, September 30, 1977

PICNIC DAY 80 PER CENT CLEARED OF OIL POLIUTICH

About 80 per cent of the oil pollution around Ficnic Bay, Lauma

Island, caused by the grounding of the Danish freighter "Adrian Maerak" has

now been cleared by Government clean-up teams.

The Acting Secretary for the New Territories, Mr. Jolm Todd, said

this today after a personal on-the-spot inspection tour of the area.

hr. Todd was accompanied on his visit by the District Officer,

Islands, Mr. Victor Yung, senior Government officials involved in the clean-

up, and the Chairman of the South Lamma Rural Committee, Mr. Chan Pak-yip.

He also spoke to fish farmers and their representatives to have

suffered extensive stock: losses from the oil spillage.

After the inspection tour, Mr. Todd said the pollution of the sea

around Picnic Bay, including the area of the fish farms, hed now largely

been cleared.

"But there are still problems of the oil polluting the foreshore,

beach and inland areas", he coid,

"But the clean-up teams, numbering more than 100, are working full

time trying to get thuse areas cleared as quickly as possible".

ir. Toad also inspected the recording station set up by the

Agriculture and fisheries Department to weigh and register fish killed by

the oil spillage.

or

"Up to this morning, the centre had registered more than 27,000

catties of dead fish and counted some 400,000 dead fry fingerlings

iamature fish brought to the station by the local fish firmers", he said.

"The recording process will go on as long as it is necessary to set

a full and accurate record to assist the farmers in pressing compensation

claine"

He pointed