A victory for marine conservation and ocean lovers— trawling is officially banned in Hong Kong waters!
The Legislative Council has officially approved a ban on trawling in all local waters on 18 May. This is the first crucial step in reviving our marine environment and developing sustainable fisheries. WWF welcomes the new legislation and thanks YOU for helping to make this happen!
Since 2005, WWF has been campaigning for a ban on trawling and promoting its significance to the recovery of our ocean habitat, as well as the fish populations. However, as only a few countries in the world have imposed such a ban, our chances were regarded as slim. But we believed that with our consistent effort in conservation and education, Hong Kong people would realise the benefits of banning trawling and support the cause, and it is true— in 2008, nearly 60,000 people signed WWF's petition, calling for sustainable fisheries management in Hong Kong waters. And over the past weeks, up until the critical hours when the trawling ban went ahead, we have received incredible responses from diversified sectors including academia, green groups, students, sea-related business owners and the public.
Banning trawling will allow a living habitat of soft corals, sponges and numerous bottom-dwelling creatures in the seabed to rejuvenate, and the marine ecosystem to recover. But our journey is far from finished: WWF urges the government to swiftly implement a ban on commercial fishing in all marine parks in Hong Kong, as announced in the 2008-09 Policy Address, by also providing sufficient regulatory and financial support to help the affected fishers switch to other livelihoods. Today's success is a confidence booster for all of us — and again, we could not have achieved this without you. With your support, we are optimistic that we will have a healthy sea full of fish once again for everyone to enjoy!
The "
Save Our Seas" campaign team at WWF
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Posted: 2011-May-21 22:01:52 |
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