TNAG-0050-FCO40-86-Disturbances-essential-food-supplies-1968 — Page 18

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CONFIDENTIAL

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Fresh Marine Fish

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This refers to fresh and frozen marine fish and includes live marine fish and invertebrates such as crutaceans, molluses, cutlefish and squid, but excludes fish used as bait. The average monthly quantity consumption is some:9,000 metric tons of which about 7,500 metric tons is supplied by the local fishing fleet. Of the 1,500 metric tons of retained imports each month over 80%.comes from China.' Although it must be assumed that an officially declared Chinese ban on food imports is bound to have some effect on our local fishermen, the application of Chinese fishery policy over the last 9-10 years has tended to reserve the waters within the 20 fathom line (which is well beyond the 12-mile-limit) to their own inshore fishermen and as breeding grounds. The net result has been that some 70% of locally landed fish come from vessels which normally operate beyond the 20 fathom line, and only about 30% come from vessels which normally fish in Chinese inshore and Colony waters. It is estimated that about 5% of landings come from within Colony waters.

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40.

The average local monthly landing in 1957 of sone 7,500 metric tons represents a favourable year for fishing but does not represent total production of the Hong Kong based fleet; a further 20% of this figure was landed in China up to about November, 1967 whereafter such landings dropped to about 10%. Before the end of 1967 the right to fish within the more distant Chinese waters (e.g. from St. John Island to Taya Island off Hainan), the need to placate the Chinese authorities, the relatively higher price paid in China for cheaper grades of fish and the lower price of rice and other commodities available in China induced local fishermen to land fish there. Since the last two months of 1967, a significant change has taken place in the attitude of the Chinese authorities towards Hong Kong fishermen who are no longer required to land their fish in China as a condition for issue of their Visiting Fishermen's Permits. However, the cheaper rice and other commodities remain as incentives to local fishermen to land their more inferior grades of fish in China although; if the present attitude of the Chinese authorities continues, the quantities landed are not expected to be more than about half of the quantities landed that under the more quota system of old. It is not likely, however, all local fishermen, can be induced not to land any of their fish in China although some fishermen at present land their entire catches in Hong Kong (See Appendix 3).

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41.

Extreme measures which China might take against local fishermen could include the following :-

a) all Chinese licensed boats being told to return

to or otherwise land all their catches in China; and

b) indiscriminate arrests of all Hong Kong vessels

on the high seas.

These measures were attempted by China in the autumn of 1958. Not- withstanding the fact time du bab 00 to 65% of the local catch came from or near Chinese waters (3 mile-limit) the actual drop in fish landings then was less than 20%. During the food 'strike' in ..the summer of 1967 pressure was put on local fishermen not to land

fish at Hong Kong. They were told to land their catch in China and

CONFIDENTIAL

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