202 Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
Under licence issued by the AFCD, 1 015 mariculturists operate in 26 designated fish culture zones. They supplied the market with about 1 185 tonnes of live marine fish valued at $94 million in 2011.
Freshwater and brackish water fish are reared in fish ponds, most of which are located in the northwestern part of the New Territories. With the increasing urbanisation of the New Territories, commercial production of pond fish has declined gradually. Pond fish culture yielded some 2 315 tonnes of fish, or 4 per cent of local freshwater fish consumption in 2011.
The AFCD continued to combat destructive fishing practices to promote sustainable development of the fishing industry and to conserve fisheries resources in Hong Kong waters. A total of 13 cases of illegal fishing were successfully prosecuted in 2011.
In addition, the AFCD continued to assist fishermen to switch to sustainable modes of operation. Credit facilities were provided for fishermen to switch to sustainable fisheries, or related operations, and for fish farmers to develop their aquaculture business. The department also helped fishermen cope with the annual fishing moratorium in the South China Sea imposed by the Mainland authorities by providing them with technical support, liaison services and credit facilities. To equip fishermen with the skills and knowledge to switch to sustainable modes of operation, the AFCD organised free-of-charge training courses during the fishing. moratorium in 2011.
The legislation for banning trawling in Hong Kong waters will come into effect on December 31, 2012 to restore Hong Kong's seabed and depleted fisheries. resources. The Government is introducing a package of measures to help trawler fishermen affected by the ban. Affected trawler fishermen will be paid ex-gratia allowances, affected local deckhands will receive one-off grants, and affected owners of inshore trawlers can join a voluntary buy-out scheme.
The Government will also introduce a training programme to assist affected trawler fishermen and local deckhands in acquiring skills to enable them to switch to other sustainable modes of operation such as mariculture and recreational fishing. The AFCD will also use some of the bought-out trawlers as artificial reefs, to help rehabilitate fishery resources in Hong Kong waters.
To complement the trawl ban, the Government is proposing additional fisheries management measures to be included in the amendment to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance. These measures include: (1) the setting up of a registration system for local fishing vessels; (2) limiting new entrants to control the number of fishing vessels and fishing effort; (3) restricting the fishing activities of non-fishing vessels and prohibiting fishing by non-local fishing vessels; and (4) designating fisheries. protection areas.
The AFCD conducts studies and provides technical services to fish farmers to strengthen the aquacultural industry's sustainability. The department continues to
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