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A licensee of a fresh provision shop who extracted seawater from the Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter, a prohibited area, for keeping live fish intended for human consumption was today (November 29) convicted and fined $1,000 in the Eastern Magistrates' Courts.
The 40-year-old woman was arrested by officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) on November 7 at a licensed fresh provision shop at Mong Lung Street, Eastern District.
"To protect public health, section 10AB of the Food Business Regulation (Cap 132X) specifies that no person should extract, supply, deliver and use seawater from a prohibited area for keeping, in the course of food business, any live fish or shellfish that is intended for human consumption," an FEHD spokesman said.
Offenders will be liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and three months' imprisonment. In addition, since this offence violates the licensing condition, the department will consider cancelling the licence of the fresh provision shop.
The prohibited areas include Victoria Harbour, 14 typhoon shelters, areas along the shoreline of Hong Kong Island (including Ap Lei Chau) and along the western shoreline of the New Territories (including Tsing Yi).
The spokesman reminds shop licensees to comply with the law. The department will continue to take enforcement actions against offenders to protect public health, he added.
Ends/Friday, November 29, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:10
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