ENG-1964 — Page 95

74

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

tons, a gift from Her Majesty's Government. This year her cruises in the South China Sea have included surveys of previously untried fishing grounds. In the course of a cruise to Sabah fishing grounds on the Continental Shelf and in the deeper waters between Sabah and Vietnam were explored and several new species of fish and crustacea previously unknown to science were found. Research into the culture and production of spherical and blister pearls yielded encouraging results this year and in the field of fisheries economics an expert from the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft, England, visited the Colony to assist in the organization and proces- sing of data obtained from the fishing industry.

The fishing fleet consists of nearly 9,400 fishing junks of various sizes and designs and six Japanese-type trawlers all of which are British registered. The fishing population consists chiefly of Tanka people, and the main fishing centres are Aberdeen and Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island, and Castle Peak, Tai Po and the Tolo Channel area, Sha Tau Kok, Sai Kung, Tai O and Cheung Chau in the New Territories. Junks are built locally from imported timber, China fir being the most popular material though shortages have led to the increased use of teak and yacal. Most of the fleet is owner-operated, while the rest are directed by fish dealers and fishing companies. More and more vessels are being mechanized each year and the mechanized fleet now totals 6,168.

Purse seiners, gill-netters, shrimp trawlers and other inshore vessels operate mainly to the south of the Colony inside the 20 fathom line. A number of the more adventurous owners of medium size mechanized boats have commenced fishing around Taya Island about 220 miles south-west of Hong Kong. The larger junk-type trawlers and long liners have gradually extended their operations and now work mainly in 30-70 fathoms along the coast of Kwangtung, although a few of the larger mechanized boats are now fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin (some 500 miles away) where previously only company-operated trawlers fished. Some of the deep-sea vessels still depend on sail and their activities are severely curtailed during the typhoon season from June to October. The restrictions imposed by the Chinese People's Government in 1958, requiring fishermen based on Hong Kong who sail in Chinese inshore waters to land a quota of their catch in China are still in force.