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  Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 06
HK fishermen forced out of business by rising fuel prices, moratorium
By Channel NewsAsia's Hong Kong Correspondent Roland Lim

HONG KONG : The number of fishermen in Hong Kong is dwindling by the year as it gets increasingly difficult for them to eke out a living. And those still in the trade are finding the current moratorium on fishing in the South China Sea particularly tough.

Fishermen in Hong Kong are calling on the government to give them interest-free loans and welfare assistance. They are in the middle of a two-month moratorium which prohibits commercial fishing in the South China Sea.

The government imposed the June-to-July no fishing season to allow for natural replenishment of the fishing stock

And banners that read "oil prices are killing fishermen" are also a common sight along the shores. With more than a month to go, Hong Kong's Aberdeen Harbour is filled with fishing boats that can't leave Hong Kong's shores.

And the two biggest problems for fishermen are - the price of gasoline which has gone up tremendously, and restricted fishing grounds.

With more costly fuel eating into their income, the fishermen say they can't afford to stop fishing for several weeks. But the government says compensation from the US$25 million set aside for the sustainable fisheries programme is adequate to cover losses.

Disagreeing, 61-year-old Leung Kan sees fishing as a sunset industry in Hong Kong. He knows only about fishing all his life, and is pessimistic about the future of commercial fishing here. "I'm fearful because it's difficult to find a job at my age. I can only rely on my son and hope to live day-to-day for the rest of my life. I can't sell my boat even if I want to because nobody would buy it," fisherman Leung Kan.

The younger Leung shares the same concerns as he is also in the family fishing business. Mr Leung owns one boat and his expenses, as a boss, comes up to US$13,000 a month, whether or not he and his fishermen go out to sea. As the size of the catch is never certain, the combined haul nets an income ranging from US$9,000 to US$15,000 a month.

"The work is very hard and I need to work more than 20 days each month to cover my costs. If I work fewer days, I will suffer losses," said Leung Kan. And that amount is increasingly elusive due to higher fuel cost, a shorter fishing season, pollution and falling fish prices.

Compared to two decades ago, the number of registered fishermen in Hong Kong today has shrunk by more than half to 10,000. - CNA /ls
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