2011/3/14

「SOS – 拯救海洋大行動」最新消息 ─ 禁止拖網捕魚

世界自然基金會香港分會的「SOS – 拯救海洋大行動」現已進入關鍵時刻，我們特此通知你最新的消息。

感謝你於2008年響應本會的可持續發展漁業簽名請願運動，我們一共收集了逾58,000個簽名，並由本會當時的主席邵在德先生親自將請願書遞交行政長官曾蔭權。該次簽名請願運動促使行曾蔭權在2008-2009年度施政報告中，宣布將在香港的四個海岸公園禁止商業捕魚。

不過，當時漁農自然護理署未能向約400個持有海岸公園捕魚許可證的漁民提供足夠的轉型機會，政府至今尚未頒布該項海洋保育措拖。只要能為這些受影響漁民提供足夠的轉型機會，世界自然基金會有信心可於明年實施禁止海岸公園的商業捕魚活動。

行政長官在其2010-11年施政報告中，宣布採納世界自然基金會的另一項重要建議：在香港禁止所有拖網捕魚活動。拖網捕魚是最具破壞力的合法捕魚方式之一，政府在過去幾十年來，對拖網捕魚作業的水域及捕撈魚獲量缺乏監管，拖網捕魚已對本港的海洋生態系統造成嚴重破壞。根據政府現時的建議，拖網捕魚活動將會在本地水域被禁止。

當實施該項措拖時，將影響拖網漁業內約1,400人的生計，政府已向受影響漁民提出賠償方案，包括發放特惠津貼予永久喪失捕魚區的拖網漁船船東、推出自願性拖網漁船回購計劃，及向有關船東所僱用的本地漁工發放一筆過補助金。

要令立法會通過這項議案，我們必須為受影響漁民作出充分賠償、創造其他就業機會，並具備遠見去建立可持續發展漁業的文化及經濟價值，世界自然基金會正就此積極與立法會議員磋商。

我們需要你的支持，表明在香港禁止拖網捕魚，對愛護海洋、使用海洋的人士帶來的重要性和好處。你的表態將有助立法會議員了解，如拖延、甚至拒絶通過議案對香港會是一個壞消息。

政府將於今年三月在憲報刊登有關禁止拖網捕魚的法律公告，並會提交立法會進行先訂立後審議的程序，這是千年一遇的難得機會以爭取雙贏局面。海外的例子已證明，不受管制的捕魚方式最終會耗盡海洋資源，導致整個漁業崩潰。在三月十五日舉行的立法會食物安全及環境衛生事務委員會會議上，世界自然基金會將向立法會表達意見，一方面重申修改規例以禁止破壞力極強的拖網捕魚的必要性和迫切性，同時指出賠償只是一個暫時性方案幫助有意退休或退出捕魚行業的漁民；香港需要一套整全的政策，將本地漁業轉型為一個健康及符合可持續發展原則的漁業，奠定區內的典範。世界自然基金會向立法會提交的意見書，可於本會網頁下載。

未來幾星期，我們將繼續為閣下提供最新消息，並在必要的時候呼籲大家的幫助和參與。敬請密切留意。

如有任何對拖網捕魚或其他關於海洋保育的意見，歡迎電郵至sos@wwf.org.hk。

世界自然基金會
「拯救海洋大行動 」團隊

Update on "Save Our Seas" Campaign – The Trawl Ban

The team here at WWF-Hong Kong thought you might be interested in an update on the "Save Our Seas" campaign as it enters a critical period. In 2008 you were one of more than 58,000 people who signed our sustainable fisheries petition, which our then Chairman Markus Shaw handed personally to the Chief Executive.

That petition resulted in Donald Tsang announcing in the 2008 Policy Address that all commercial fishing in our four Marine Parks would eventually be banned. That measure has not yet been enacted as the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) had few alternative livelihood options to offer the 400 or so commercial fishers who had a license to fish in the Marine Parks and would be impacted by the fishing ban. WWF is confident that commercial fishing will be banned in the Marine Parks in the next year or so providing sufficient alternative livelihood options are made available to the affected fishers.

More recently, the Chief Executive announced in the 2010 Policy Address that another key measure proposed by WWF - to ban all trawling in Hong Kong – would also be put into effect. Bottom trawling, is one of the most destructive legal trawling types of fishing, and has devastated Hong Kong's marine ecosystems in recent decades due to a complete lack of Government controls on where they can operate, and what they can catch. Under the new proposal, all trawling will be banned in Hong Kong.

As banning trawling is going to affect the livelihoods of about 1,400 people in the trawling industry, Government has proposed that the affected fishermen be compensated under a scheme which includes ex-gratia payments (for the trawler owners affected for permanent loss of fishing grounds arising from the proposed trawl ban), voluntary trawler vessel buy-out plan (for the fishers who surrender their vessels), and one-off grants to assist the affected local deckhands employed by the trawler owners.

However, in order for LegCo to approve this bill, sufficient compensation and alternative livelihoods for the affected fishers, and a vision to develop the cultural and economic value of the fishing industry under sustainable practices are needed. WWF is working hard to lobby legislators, and may need your support to voice the importance and benefits of banning trawling in Hong Kong to the ones who love and use the sea. The legislators would need to understand from your point of view why long delays in passing this bill, or even rejection of it will be bad news for Hong Kong.

The bill to be tabled to LegCo by the government in this month is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for us to achieve a win-win situation for all. Overseas cases have demonstrated that unregulated fishing can lead to the collapse of entire fishing communities when stocks disappear. At the next LegCo Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel meeting on the 15th March, WWF will voice our views to LegCo, supporting the banning of highly destructive trawling is very necessary first step, but also pointing out that compensation is only a temporary solution to help those to who want to retire and leave the industry. A holistic policy is also needed to complete the transformation to a healthy and sustainable fishery for Hong Kong – one that will be the envy of the region. A copy of WWF's submission to LegCo can be downloaded at our website.

Over the next few weeks we'll keep you updated on the process, starting with this message, and call for your help if and when it is really needed! Stay tuned.

If you have any comments on the trawl ban or any other marine conservation issue, feel free to email to sos@wwf.org.hk.

The "Save Our Seas" campaign team at WWF

如閣下對本會有任何意見，歡迎電郵至 wwf@wwf.org.hk 或致電 2526-1011 查詢。
If you have any queries, please email to wwf@wwf.org.hk or call our hotline at 2526-1011.

如欲取消本會的電郵，請按此處
To unsubscribe any emails from WWF Hong Kong, please click here.