. Earth Science News .
Hong Kong considers ban on fishing trawlers: report

by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 4, 2008
Hong Kong is considering banning fishing trawlers in its waters to save fish stocks, a report said Thursday.

The drastic proposal comes as annual catches were estimated to be 30 percent above sustainable levels, the South China Morning Post said, citing a consultation paper from the Food and Health bureau.

"Most Hong Kong waters are fish spawning and nursery grounds," said the consultation document, which will be released by the bureau's committee on sustainable fisheries next week.

"The indiscriminate trawling activity will lead to catches of infant fish that lack... economic value and seriously disrupt reproduction capacity."

Under the proposals, the government could buy out some of the 550 fishing trawlers operating in Hong Kong waters.

Environmental groups have long said that of all methods used, trawling has the most damaging effect on the seabed and fish stocks.

The document said annual production of fish in local waters has reached 26,700 tonnes, 30 percent above the maximum sustainable yield set by a recent study on sustainable fishing, the Post said.

The proposal is likely to draw opposition from the beleaguered fishing industry, which provides 12,000 jobs in Hong Kong.

Fishermen have been plagued by a string of problems including marine pollution from China, soaring oil prices, ageing operators, and mounting calls to protect international fish stocks.

Financial help and retraining could be offered to the affected fishermen, with the hope that they could turn to the leisure fishing business or fish farming, the report said.

Other suggestions in the paper included limiting new entrants and capping the number of fishing vessels, the English-language newspaper reported.

A spokesman for the department said the report was not yet available to the public.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Coca-Cola to buy China juice maker for 2.4 bln dollars
Shanghai (AFP) Sept 3, 2008
Coca-Cola moved Wednesday to further strengthen its global reach by announcing plans to buy Huiyuan Juice Group for 2.4 billion dollars, the US soft drink maker's biggest acquisition in China.







  • 'Grim' conditions as India flood rescue hits crucial stage
  • Flooding risk for decades in China quake zone: expert
  • New Orleans revives as storm-slammed suburbs struggle
  • US disaster chief: Don't come home too soon

  • Study Seeks Human Fingerprint On Western Australian Climate
  • Global Warming Greatest In Past Decade
  • Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Could Cause Rapid Sea Level Rise
  • Thawing Permafrost Likely To Boost Global Warming

  • Ball Aerospace Begins Integration Of WorldView-2 Imaging Instrument
  • Hanna Not Moving Much Near North Of The Caicos Islands
  • Changing The World, One Student At A Time
  • Arctic Ice On The Verge Of Another All-Time Low

  • Destiny, Florida Creates State's First Energy Farm
  • EESTECH And AGL Energy To Use Australian Waste To Energy Technology
  • Palm oil firms' moratorium rejection threatens orangutans: activists
  • Angola's oil fields fuel economic growth

  • Toll rises to 121 in Uganda hepatitis epidemic
  • Sharp unveils new anti-bird flu air purifier
  • HIV-positive Swazi women march against royals' shopping binge
  • Matsushita says new DNA technology identifies disease risks

  • Caltech Scientists Discover Why Flies Are So Hard To Swat
  • Eyes Evolved For X-Ray Vision
  • Armoured Fish Study Helps Strengthen Darwin's Natural Selection Theory
  • Study Of Islands Reveals Surprising Extinction Results

  • EPA completes river cleanup
  • Heavy Metal Linked To Poor Growth And Fertility In Sydney Harbor Crustaceans
  • Even in Europe, 20 million people without toilets: forum
  • Greenland Ice Core Reveals History Of Pollution In The Arctic

  • Study reveals Australia suffering from 'man drought'
  • Chewing gum may reduce stress
  • Scientists rebut finding of 'Hobbit' bones
  • New Book Supports Theory Of Man The Hunted

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement