HK fails to protect fish stocks

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This thread discusses the Content article: HK fails to protect fish stocks Herewith some additional points to AFCD and HKSAR Government: – Need to step up marine policing to stop illegal chinese fishing boats plundering our resources (and not just Pine Trees); – Consider introducing a licensing system for all fishers (including recreational & speargunners) – potential to raise much needed ‘marine revenue’ (does not mean fill in more of Victoria Harbour); – Need to work alongside Mainland counterparts to stop dynamite fishing in nearby waters;

[DocMartin]

In December, Britain’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution – "an independent standing body established in 1970 to advise the Queen, the Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues" – issued a report on UK fisheries, which likewise says past fisheries policies have failed; overfishing remains a serious problem: Among recommendations:

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We therefore call for radical change to increase protection for the marine environment.

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the UK government and fisheries departments should initiate a decommissioning scheme to reduce the capacity of the UK fishing fleet to an environmentally sustainable level and move towards managing fisheries on the basis of controlling fishing effort – the overall amount of fishing activity – rather than the quantity of fish landed. It should take steps to ensure such measures are also introduced at the European level.

Instead of presumption in favour of fishing,

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… we recommend that the presumption should be reversed; applicants for fishing rights (or aquaculture operations in the marine environment) should have to demonstrate that the effects of their activity will not harm the sea’s long-term environmental sustainability.

recommendations would lead to

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30% of the UK’s exclusive economic zone being established as marine reserves closed to commercial fishing.

The extensive report (even a summary document runs to 30 pages) is available at: RCEP Turning the Tide Report

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