ENG-1968 — Page 117

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PRIMARY PRODUCTION

The department administers the Fisheries Development Loan Fund, which is allotted specifically for the development of the Colony's middle and distant water fleet, for which it has a capital of $5 million. There is close co-operation with the Fish Marketing Organization, which administers two other funds and investigates applications for loans from all three. Together they provide capital of more than $8 million for the development of the industry.

The Fisheries Research Division with its main office in Aberdeen is engaged in biological and oceanographic research in the South China Sea, using the 240-ton research trawler Cape St Mary. The main biological effort is directed towards population study of Muraenesox, Upeneus and Psenopsis, toxonomic analysis of com- mercial fauna, and culture of aquatic organisms and exploration. A handbook on Hong Kong fishes has been completed, and another on squids, cuttle-fish and octopus is in preparation. In order to describe the marine environment in which the exploited fish stocks are located the hydrographic survey of the continental shelf off Hong Kong has continued; this work also constitutes the United Kingdom contribution to the Co-operative Study of the Kuroshio (CSK), a multi-ship international expedition organized by the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission. The Division has two sub-stations, one at Kat O, Mirs Bay, where investigations are conducted into the commercial feasibility of culturing marine oysters and fishes, and one at Au Tau where methods of freshwater fish culture, freshwater fish breeding experimental work and the culture of the Lau Fau Shan brackish oyster are studied.

Fish ponds are still increasing and now cover 2,000 acres, mostly along the Deep Bay coastline near Yuen Long. The most important species reared is the grey mullet which requires water with a salinity above 0.1 per cent, and fry are found in local coastal waters in February and March. Fry of four other important species ---about 4.7 million silver carp, grass carp, big head and mud carp-were imported from China between May and August. The common carp and the edible goldfish are bred locally and some 2.1 million fry of these species were raised to meet trade require- ments. The edible goldfish require freshwater (less than 0.4 per cent salinity), while the common carp tolerates up to 1.0 per cent salinity.