ENG-1961 — Page 136

104

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

have water with a salinity above 0.05%. Fry are found in local coastal waters in February and March. The supply in 1961 was very good and more than eight million were collected.

Fry of the four important species, Silver Carp, Grass Carp, Big Head and Mud Carp, are obtained from China between May and August and adequate supplies, about 14 million, were imported during the year. These four species require water with a salinity of less than 0.4%. Common Carp and Edible Gold fish are bred locally and some 500,000 and 100,000 fry respectively were raised to provide an adequate supply for local dealers. Edible Gold fish require fresh water (less than 0.4% salinity), whereas the Common Carp can tolerate 1% salinity. Eight million fry of various species were re-exported during the year.

Production for the year was 1,050 tons, valued at $4 million. This was a distinct improvement on previous years, and represented about 10 per cent of the total consumption of pond fish.

MARKETING

Fish Marketing Organization. At the end of the Pacific_War Hong Kong's fishermen were in very poor circumstances; many were literally in rags and their vessels and fishing gear had fallen into disrepair. Interest free loans and grants were made to rehabilitate the fishing fleet and a Fish Marketing Scheme was introduced. Controls were imposed on the landing and wholesale marketing of marine fish, with the long-term object of developing the industry on a sound economic footing. From this beginning developed the Fish Marketing Organization, a non-Government trading organization controlled by a civil servant, now the Com- missioner for Co-operative Development and Fisheries.

The Organization is a non-profit-making concern which finds its revenue and pays its expenses from a 6% commission on all the sales at its wholesale markets. It operates at present under emergency legislation. The Marketing (Marine Fish) Ordinance was enacted in 1956 to replace this, but has not been brought into force pending the drafting of the necessary subsidiary legislation, which is now in an advanced stage of preparation.

The Organization runs five wholesale fish markets, at Aberdeen and Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island, Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon,