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The Government will introduce the Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Bill 2011 into the Legislative Council on November 2. The Amendment Bill seeks to further promote the sustainable development of the fishing industry and restore the fisheries resources in our marine environment.
A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said today (October 12) that in addition to passage of the legislation on the trawling ban in Hong Kong waters by the Legislative Council earlier, the Administration will implement a basket of complementary fisheries management measures to regulate fishing activities through amendments to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171) in this legislative session to bring the local fishing industry back to a sustainable path.
"The Amendment Bill provides for the setting up of a registration system for local fishing vessels, with a view to limiting the entry of new fishing vessels to control the number of fishing vessels and maintain an appropriate level of fishing effort in Hong Kong waters; restricting fishing activities with the use or aid of non-fishing vessels and prohibiting fishing activities with the use or aid of non-local fishing vessels; and designating fisheries protection areas (FPAs) to promote sustainable fisheries development," the spokesman said.
Major proposals under the Amendment Bill include:
(a) Setting up a registration system for local fishing vessels, with the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation (DAFC) as the authority for registration. The registration will remain valid throughout the life span of the vessel and no renewal of registration will be required. DAFC will only register existing local fishing vessels which already possess a valid operating licence issued by the Marine Department (MD) on the commencement date of the Amendment Bill. A vessel constructed or acquired after the commencement date will also be eligible for registration if its owner possesses an approval-in-principle letter issued by the MD that is valid on the commencement date and a valid operating licence can be produced at the time of application for registration.
(b) Limiting new entrants to control the number of fishing vessels and fishing effort so as to enable the marine environment to rehabilitate. As stipulated in the Amendment Bill, owners of existing local fishing vessels must apply for registration on or before the expiry of a period of 12 months from the commencement date of the Amendment Bill. However, to cater for the special situation of trawlers, the Amendment Bill will provide for an enabling provision to offer a trawler owner an option of registering a non-trawler by modifying his or her existing trawler or by acquiring a new vessel, on condition that the engine power of the non-trawler is not higher than that of the trawler to be replaced. The Government is prepared to allow those owners to exercise the option beyond the specified period and will work out the detailed arrangements after consultation with the trade.
(c) Restricting fishing with the use or aid of non-fishing vessels and prohibiting fishing with the use or aid of non-local fishing vessels. Nevertheless, fishing by hand-lining or without any fishing gear with the use or aid of a vessel other than a non-local fishing vessel will not be subject to the restriction.
(d) Designating certain areas in Hong Kong waters as FPAs to protect important spawning and nursery grounds, help restore fisheries resources in Hong Kong waters, and promote their sustainable growth in the long run.
"Extensive consultation on the Amendment Bill had been conducted and it received general support from the fisheries sector and green groups. In drawing up the subsidiary legislation for FPAs, we will seek the views of the fishing community and major stakeholders on the proposed locations as well as the fisheries management measures to be imposed," the spokesman said.
"By restoring our marine environment and ecosystems, not only are we conserving our environment, we are actually promoting the sustainable development of our fishing industry. The Government looks forward to enacting the Amendment Bill within this legislative session," the spokesman said.
The fisheries management measures in the Amendment Bill were proposed by the Committee on Sustainable Fisheries set up by the Government in late 2006 to study the long-term direction and goals for the development of the territory's fisheries industry. The Committee recommended strategies on three fronts to promote the sustainable development of the local fisheries industry, including promotion of modernised and sustainable practices, control of fishing effort, conservation and enhancement of fisheries resources. In his 2010-11 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced that the Government would implement a basket of management measures including banning trawling in Hong Kong waters through legislation in order to restore our seabed and marine resources as early as possible. The subsidiary legislation for banning trawling in Hong Kong waters was passed by the Legislative Council on May 18, 2011, and the relevant legislation will come into effect on December 31, 2012.
Ends/Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:33
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