ENG-1967 — Page 119

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

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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 started 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 capable of fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin (some 500 miles away) the war in Vietnam does not encourage the use of these grounds. 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. Landings by the local fishing fleet in 1967 were generally good and wholesale prices were satisfactory. The activities of the fleet were, however, affected by a general shortage of crew as an increasing number of fishermen sought employment on shore.

Oyster Farming. Edible oysters have been cultivated in the waters of the Colony for some 700 years. The principal area of cultivation is Deep Bay where 110 long tons of oyster meat, valued at approxi- mately $774,300 were produced from 6,060 acres along the New Territories' shores of the bay. Some of this was processed into dried meat or oyster juice and exported to markets overseas.

FISH MARKETING ORGANIZATION

The present Fish Marketing Organization grew out of the steps taken to rehabilitate the fishing fleet at the end of the Pacific War. Interest-free loans and grants were made and a fish marketing scheme was introduced with the long-term object of developing the industry on a sound economic footing. From this beginning devel- oped the present non-government trading organization controlled by the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries. The organization is a non-profit-making concern which finds its revenue and pays its expenses from a six per cent commission on all the sales in its whole- sale markets. It operates under the Marine Fish (Marketing) Ordin- ance 1956, which provides among other things for a Fish Marketing Advisory Board composed of unofficials to assist the organization.

The organization runs five wholesale fish markets at Aberdeen and Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island, Cheung Sha Wan in