|
|
 |
BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL INJURED BY FISH HOOKS HAS WING
AMPUTATED, CANNOT BE RELEASED.  CRUEL
AND ILLEGAL PRACTICE CLAIMS THIRD VICTIM
|
An injured
Black-faced Spoonbill found near the Shenzhen River, San
Tin with a fishhook and line attached embedded in its wing
had that wing amputated on Thursday, 19th February. Despite
veterinary treatment at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden,
an infection caused by the wound did not heal. This globally
threatened bird will never return to the wild. |
The way in which the injured bird was
found, with a fishhook in its wing, strongly suggests that it
had flown into a hook set on a line over a fishpond. On the same
day when the injured spoonbill was found, lines of fish hooks
could be seen strung over at least two fishponds within 500 m
of the injured bird. This illegal practice is one that a small
number of fish farmers are using to keep fish-eating birds away
from their ponds.
Mike Kilburn, Vice Chairman of the Hong
Kong Bird Watching Society noted: "In recent years, complaints
have been made to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department (AFCD) about this practice which is clearly designed
to kill or catch birds rather than scare them away from the fishponds.
Despite being illegal, birds are killed in Deep Bay every year
by these hooks. Two Black-faced Spoonbills were victims of the
same fishhooks last year. This is totally unacceptable. The fact
that it is avoidable only makes matters worse."
Dr. Lew Young, Manager of Mai Po Marshes
Nature Reserve of WWF Hong Kong said: "It is acknowledged that
some wintering waterbirds, such as Cormorants, do take fish from
certain fishponds. However, due to the complaints from the Deep
Bay pond-fish farmers about this, the Agriculture, Fisheries
and Conservation Department (AFCD), have been carrying out trials
to see how best to reduce this problem."
"These trials involve placing wires in
a criss-cross manner over their ponds to make it difficult for
birds to land in the pond and take fish," said Dr. Young. He
went on to explain that, "The results of these studies have so
far shown that this method is generally successful and there
is now a demand from fish farmers for their ponds to be wired
up against fish-eating birds."
| AFCD is
spending several thousand dollars per pond to protect the
fish farmers' fish. Hundreds of ponds have already been wired,
and there are plans for the trial to be extended. Despite
this, the hanging of hooks continues," said Mr Kilburn. |
|
Hong Kong has an international obligation
to protect the globally endangered Black-faced Spoonbill under
the Ramsar Convention. Both HKBWS and WWF Hong Kong believe that
it is essential that AFCD actively work with the fish farmers
to immediately eliminate the practice of setting lines of hooks
over fishponds that can kill or injure birds. Where lines of
hooks have been set, AFCD should take immediate enforcement action,
confiscating the hooks and wires and prosecute those who are
setting them.
- END -
For further information and photos, please
contact;
Mike Kilburn, Hong Kong Birdwatching Society. Tel: 6221 2984, or
Dr. Lew Young, WWF Hong Kong. Tel: 2471-6306 (Office), 96276520
(Mobile) |
