Determined farmers in last stand to fight off algae
Fish farmers in a quiet bay off Lantau Island are mounting a desperate last stand against the red tide, armed only with boat propellers and air tanks.
Ma Wan is one of the last places where fish have survived the red tide, and a round-the-clock guard has been set up by the 80 fish farmers.
The minute the tell-tale golden yellow streak of approaching red tide is spotted, the fishermen start up their boat engines facing out into the water to create a current to drive it back. At the same time, they pump oxygen into fish cages to give them extra protection.
'We're waging a war,' said Fok Hei, 74, a fish farmer in Ma Wan for 28 years. 'There's no place to run. We have to stay and fight.' The watch had kept the fish farms safe, with only a few casualties, Mr Fok said.
The yellow streak usually crept in around late afternoon when the water receded, he said.
'We usually keep the motors running for three hours until the tide disappears.' Mr Fok said the farmers were realistic about the chances of winning the war against the tide.
'We've been lucky. At the moment the loss is not great. Later, I don't know,' he added, as colleagues stood on alert yesterday afternoon, one of them pacing back and forth looking out to sea, another in his boat ready to crank up his engine at the first sign of the red tide.
The farmers and Agriculture and Fisheries Department officials believe the bay has been spared the devastation of other areas because of the island's position, nestled between the New Territories, Tsing Yi and Lantau Island, sheltering it from the tide.
Mr Fok estimates that total loss in the zone so far amounts to 3,500 catties of fish, worth around $245,000.
