ENG-1989 — Page 139

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

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Among the common types of flowers, gladioli and chrysanthemums grow throughout the year, while dahlias, roses, asters, snapdragons and carnations are produced in winter, and ginger lilies and lotus flowers in summer. A wide range of ornamental plants - including philodendrons, dieffenbachia, bamboo palms and poinsettia is produced in commer- cial nurseries. Peach blossom and ornamental citrus are grown specially for the Lunar New Year.

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Because there is insufficient land for extensive grazing, pigs and poultry are the principal animals reared for food. Pigs in Hong Kong are mostly crosses of local animals with exotic stock. The value of locally-produced pigs in 1989 amounted to $380 million. However, the production of local pigs is expected to decline in the long run as a result of the implementation of the Livestock Waste Control Scheme by the government.

The production value of poultry, including chickens, ducks, pigeons and quails, amounted to $745 million. Local chicken production was about 15 million birds, repre- senting 39 per cent of total consumption.

Friesian cattle are kept by dairies, all of which are in the New Territories.

Fishing Industry

Marine fish constitute one of Hong Kong's most important primary products. In 1989, total production from the two major sectors of marine capture and culture fisheries was estimated at about 245 950 tonnes with a wholesale value of $2.425 million. The figures represented increases of three per cent in weight and three in value compared with 1988. The marine capture sector was more important by far in weight terms, contributing 96 per cent towards total production while the remaining four per cent came from the culture

sectors.

The Hong Kong fishing fleet comprises about 4900 vessels of which 4300 are mechanised. It is manned by some 23 400 fishermen and plays a vital role in marine cap- ture fisheries, exploiting over 150 species of commercially important food fish and supplying over 55 per cent of all marine produce consumed locally. In terms of landed weight, golden thread, lizard-fishes, bigeyes, croakers, yellow belly, and squid are the most important.

The fleet employs trawling, lining, gill-netting and purse-seining as the major types of fishing methods. About 60 per cent of the vessels are between 10 and 34 metres in length comprising mainly trawlers, liners, and gill netters that operate offshore over a wide sector of the continental shelf extending between the Gulf of Tonkin and the East China Sea. The remaining 40 per cent of the vessels are less than 10 metres long, consisting primarily of small gill netters, hand liners, and purse seiners which operate in shallow coastal waters.

Trawling is the most important type of fishing, accounting for 76 per cent or 181 000 tonnes of marine fish landed in 1989. The total landed catch of live and fresh marine fish available for local consumption amounted to 94 650 tonnes with an estimated wholesale value of $958 million.

Pond fish farming is one of the most important culture activities. Fish ponds under active cultivation and covering 1 380 hectares are located in the New Territories, mostly in the Yuen Long district. Traditional pond fish farming is similar to that practised in China for hundreds of years. Several different carp species are cultured in the same pond, each deriving its food from a different source and so making the utmost use of the nutrients introduced. Owing to the increasing urbanisation of the New Territories, the land area devoted to fish ponds has gradually declined. During the year, the ponds yielded 5 780 tonnes, or 13 per cent of the local consumption of freshwater fish.