Fish Farmers Hit Out At New Govt Regulations

A group of fish farmers on Monday warned that new licensing regulations that the government has proposed for their sector sound the death knell for many farmers.

The authorities have rolled out new guidelines to streamline the sector, saying there are accusations that some people who get licences actually don't do any farming on the allotted waters.

According to the planned regulations, 70 percent of the area allotted under a licence must be covered by fish cages. But the protesting farmers said the new criteria wouldn't work as the water quality is too poor.

Another regulation planned is that the farms must have a density of at least 10 kilogrammes of fish for each square metre of the site. But the farmers said they have not been told how calculations to check they are complying will be arrived at.

Pro-democracy legislator Chu Hoi-dick, who’s helping the farmers, urged the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to withdraw the proposals.

“Since there are typhoons and other diseases that are unexpected, that will suddenly kill all the fishes. If the government can’t guarantee continuous fish farming can be possible, to set up such a high standard is just equal to asking them to finish their business,” he said.

He told RTHK's Candice Wong that he suspects the new regulations are aimed at getting rid of some existing farmers so they can make way for others.