ENVIRONMENTALISTS last night called on the Government to set up fish farming guidelines to protect water quality and prevent shark attacks.
They said the guidelines should suggest where fish farms could be set up, the number of fish to be reared, and what kind of food to feed the fish.
Their demand followed Dr Burgess' finding that a steady stream of odours produced by aquaculture facilities along the Sai Kung coast was one of the reasons sharks were attracted to Hong Kong.
There were fish farms adjacent to the Clear Water Bay beaches, at Shelter Island near Sheung Sze Wan, north of Silverstrand Beach and Little Palm Bay, said Dr Burgess.
But his findings immediately drew criticism from fishermen who said they had been made the scapegoats.
Chung Shu-kun, vice-convenor of a joint committee representing 42 fishing organisations and 95 per cent of fishermen in the territory, denied fish farming attracted sharks.
