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LCQ9: Marine Parks
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     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):

Question:

     Earlier on, I attended a seminar organised by a green group, which focused on marine parks and the conservation of marine life.  The green group pointed out that the Government had procrastinated the designation of additional places as marine parks, resulting in the continued deterioration of the ecological environment in some waters of Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the respective places of outlying islands that meet the preliminary eligibility conditions and can be further considered for designation as marine parks at present, as well as the areas of the relevant places that can be designated as marine parks; whether the authorities will implement the relevant plans; if so, of the details, including the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that; of the difficulties currently encountered by the Government in the process of designating marine parks;

(b) given that the authorities have undertaken to designate the Brothers Islands as a marine park in accordance with the statutory process, so that it can provide a habitat for Chinese white dolphins, whether the Government will implement the plan shortly; if so, of the estimated manpower and other resources to be committed each year; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will undertake to implement the plan in the next three years; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(c) given that the Country and Marine Parks Board pointed out earlier that southwest Lantau, Soko Islands and south Lamma Island possessed the conditions for becoming marine parks, whether the authorities will expeditiously set an implementation timetable in this regard; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(d) whether the authorities will extend the areas covered by the existing marine parks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply

President,

     There are currently four marine parks and one marine reserve in Hong Kong. They were Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau
Marine Park, Tung Ping Chau Marine Park and Cape D' Aguilar Marine Reserve, covering a total area of 2 430 ha.

     In South Lantau and the Islands District, the Government has a plan to designate the Southwest Lantau and Soko Islands as marine parks for the protection of Chinese White Dolphins.  In 2009, we consulted the relevant fishermen organisations, the Tai O Rural Committee and the South Lantao Rural Committee again on these two proposed marine parks.  They had reservations over the management measures to be implemented for the marine parks (such as vessel speed restrictions) and worried that the designation of the new marine parks would further reduce the fishing grounds in Hong Kong waters, and therefore do not support the proposed designation.  In this connection, we would have to follow up and fully discussed with stakeholders on the arrangements before taking forward the plan to designate the proposed marine parks.  At the present stage, the Government will carry out preliminary preparatory work and will continue to conserve and monitor the population of Chinese White Dolphins in the waters around Fan Lau and Soko Islands through the existing Conservation Programme for Chinese White Dolphins.

     Study has been conducted earlier to investigate the feasibility of designating South Lamma as a marine park.  The study finding indicated that the coastal waters of South Lamma supported marine fauna of ecological value, mainly being green turtle and finless porpoise.  Sham Wan of South Lamma has been designated as a Restricted Area under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) subsequently to protect the nesting ground of green turtle. The long-term marine mammal monitoring by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department indicated that the usage of South Lamma waters by finless porpoises was relatively low.  In view of the above, there is no need to accord priority in considering the South Lamma site for designation as marine park.

     Furthermore, following up on the conditions in the Environmental Permit for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ¡V Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Project, the Highways Department is now carrying out the preparatory works for the designation of the marine park in the Brothers Islands (BIMP), including detailed study on the proposed boundary, devising management plan for the proposed BIMP and consultation with stakeholders.

     We have implemented various measures to conserve the marine resources of Hong Kong.  For example, to help curb further depletion of the marine resources in Hong Kong and enable the marine ecosystem to rehabilitate at a faster rate than would otherwise be possible, trawling activities in Hong Kong waters have been banned since the end of 2012.  The registration of local fishing vessels is under way to control fishing effort and prohibit non-local fishing vessels from engaging in fishing activities in Hong Kong waters.  The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department conducts several fisheries resources surveys per year.  Preliminary findings from recent surveys indicate a slight increase in fisheries resources in some waters after the implementation of the above-mentioned fisheries management measures.  We still need to capture data over a longer period of time for a meaningful analysis of the effect of the trawl ban on fisheries resources.   Looking ahead, we are making preparations for designating fisheries protection areas to protect important fish nursery and spawning grounds in Hong Kong waters. The Government will also continue to monitor the existing marine resources, carry out research and take other appropriate measures to conserve the marine resources of Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 13:01

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