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  Yahoo News 15 Feb 07
Hong Kong marine parks fail to protect fish: WWF

HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong conservationists have criticised the government for failing to protect reef fish in the city's marine parks after a survey showed fish populations had not increased from low levels.

WWF Hong Kong said Wednesday fish populations in the Hoi Ha Wan marine park and Tung Ping Chau marine park in the rural New Territories -- where fishing is still allowed in most areas of the parks -- had remained at low levels since the parks were established, in 1996 and 2000 respectively.

Andy Cornish, the conservation director of WWF Hong Kong who has been studying reef fish at both marine parks since 1997, found the number of species inside the parks showed no detectable differences between surveys carried out in 1997 and 2006.

He said there was also a lack of large fish in the marine parks, and blamed overfishing as the most likely cause.

"The fact that commercial fishing using hook and line, fish traps and gill nets still legally occurs in Hong Kong's marine parks by fishermen issued with permits from the (government) is the most likely reason for fish biomass remaining low in these marine parks," Cornish said.

He said although the number of permits had declined since the Hoi Ha Wan marine park was established, the 269 remaining could still account for an unlimited amount of fishing.

Cornish urged the government to do more to protect marine life and called for a total fishing ban in marine parks.

"Fish are probably the most over-exploited marine resource in Hong Kong and much more needs to be done to conserve them," Cornish said. "Marine parks could act as insurance against collapse in other areas -- if fishing was banned and the parks were effective refuges, allowing juvenile fish to mature and reproduce before they were caught," he said.

Cornish said marine parks were supposed to protect marine life, and urged the government to rethink their management strategy. "After 10 years of so-called protection, it's time to say this experiment has failed and that commercial fishing should be banned in the marine parks," he added.
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