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Dec 2005
[ You may download the SOS Position Paper in PDF format here ]
Fish stocks in Hong Kong waters are
heavily depleted following disturbance to the marine environment
in the form of reclamation, dredging and dumping, pollution
and decades of commercial fishing without sustainable fisheries
management. In late 2004, the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department announced it was seeking three changes
to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance.
Proposed Amendments to the Fisheries Protection
Ordinance and WWF Opinion
i) Fishing Licence Scheme
Under the scheme, vessels involved in commercial
fishing will require a fishing licence, which would allow
fishing effort to be controlled in the majority of Hong Kong
waters (i.e. outside special areas such as Marine Parks).
WWF's view
WWF strongly supports the fishing license scheme as
one of the most important first steps in achieving
sustainable fisheries management, and recommends
that recreational fishing also be covered. |
ii) Fisheries Protection Areas
Fisheries Protection Areas (FPAs) are intended to provide
a protected environment for nursery and spawning grounds.
The two main areas targeted for FPA designation are Port
Shelter, and Tolo Harbour and Channel in eastern waters.
In FPAs, bottom trawling will be banned, while other commercial
fishing types will be allowed with a permit, except in
some areas where Artificial Reefs have been deployed.
WWF's view
The most intensive fishing conducted in local waters
is bottom trawling, where heavily-weighted nets are
dragged over the sea-bed to harvest shrimps, fishes
and crabs. Bottom trawling is extremely destructive
to sea-bed communities including sea-fans, and soft
corals, and is indiscriminate about what it catches,
so the banning of bottom trawling is a positive step.
However, WWF believes that the proposed Fisheries
Protection Areas will not provide significant additional
protection, as fishing pressure from licensed commercial
and recreational fishing is still expected to be
high. As protecting nursery and spawning grounds
is critical to restoring fisheries, the FPAs should
be no-take zones.
No-take zones are areas where no fishing is permitted
all year round. They are increasingly being used
globally as a tool to conserve marine habitats and
associated biodiversity, as well as a fisheries management
tool. Protected populations should act to replenish
surrounding waters. Marine reserves are also seen
as an insurance policy against fisheries collapse
if other fisheries management tools fail. No-take
zones in Hong Kong currently cover only 0.016% of
local waters. Existing Marine Parks are larger but
licensed commercial fishing is still allowed, and
there is little evidence of fish populations within
them recovering.
No-take zones should be designated to cover all
existing Marine Parks, and the proposed Fisheries
Protection Areas in Port Shelter, Tolo Harbour and
Channel, and Long Harbour (totalling 9.8% of Hong
Kong waters). Creating such a network of no-take
zones is necessary to substantially increase the coverage
of existing no-take zones towards the 20-40% of fishing
grounds predicted by most studies to be necessary
to produce maximum benefits to fisheries. Recreational
fishing would be banned, as recreational fishing
could significantly reduce the ability of exploited
stocks to recover in the FPAs, except from designated
areas, such as artificial shorelines so that the
public can benefit directly from the no-take zones. |
iii) Fishing Moratorium
Since 1999, China has implemented a "closed
season" policy in the South China Sea in June and July
to allow fish stocks to recover, and a moratorium in Hong
Kong would probably coincide with the South China Sea ban.
WWF's view
WWF supports the concept of a closed season as a back-up
fisheries management tool should fisheries resources
not show suitable signs of recovery from the first
two measures. |
Overall, WWF believes that the proposed amendments
to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance will be insufficient
to allow recovery of fish stocks to a level where they
can support a healthy and sustainable fishery. WWF has
revised and strengthened the proposed amendments to the
Fisheries Protection Ordinance as the SOS "Save
Our Seas" campaign.
SOS "Save Our Seas" Primary Objectives
| 2006 |
Adoption of SOS objectives
by the Legislative Council, in the form of amendments
to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171), |
| 2006/7 |
Introduction of Fishing
Licensing Scheme for all vessels involved in commercial
fishing. |
| 2006/7 |
Designation of no-take
zones to cover all existing Marine Parks, and the proposed
Fisheries Protection Areas in Port Shelter, Tolo Harbour
and Channel, and Long Harbour. |
| 2008 |
Stern and pair trawlers
phased out. |
| 2011 |
Ban on bottom trawling
in all of Hong Kong waters except for designated shrimp
trawling areas in southern waters where shrimp productivity
is greatest. The ban on bottom trawling will require
such vessels to be bought out, so they never fish again. |
| 2016 |
30% of Hong Kong waters
designated as no-take zones. |
Allowances and alternative livelihoods
WWF recognizes that the proposals in the SOS
will lead to dramatic changes to fisher's livelihoods, particularly
in the short-term. Allowances in the form of monetary compensation
and re-training will be necessary, particularly for those bottom
trawling fishers whose vessels will need to be bought out,
but also for other fishers who have suffered loss of fishing
grounds. We urge the government to work with the fishing community
to ease the transition period, and to help them find alternative
employment in related fields, such as diving and recreational
boat operators, eco-tour guides etc. Existing fishing subsidies
could be realigned to make them available to fishers for initiatives
which support alternative livelihoods, such as training, installation
of equipment on vessels to facilitate tourism activities etc.
[ You may download the SOS Position Paper in PDF format here ] |
