bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Q Should the shark nets be inspected more frequently?

Can the Leisure and Cultural Services Department  explain the  complete lack of information about sharks in Hong Kong waters disseminated to the public?

Stemming from the most recent incident, I can only guess that the department  was waiting until the swimming season was over, or had  decided not to inform the public at all.

People have an interest in sharks. Hong Kong is, and always has been, an attractive coastal zone where  adult sharks give birth and juveniles feed. The more information gathered, the better understanding we can have of the oceans' top predators. We are all aware that  shark nets  at public beaches  are designed to reduce  encounters between swimmers and sharks. So what is the department's  protocol on reporting to the public any sharks that are seen or are entangled by the nets or any other shark information?

It appears that the department's  priorities for the  nets are  protecting swimmers from speeding banana boats and trapping floating rubbish.

Can the department  also review the design of the nets, as drowning harmless juvenile sharks is cruel and wasteful?

I would also like reassurance that the next time sharks are entangled in nets  the contractor should immediately report any findings to an organisation such as  Ocean Park or WWF to verify the species before  it is disposed of.

I suspect  the fins were removed before the sharks were taken to a landfill, which is presumably why there is no clear evidence even as to what species of shark was caught.

Again, shark conservationists find ourselves with little or no data  on a marine creature that needs our  support, and also may help to fill in massive data  gaps on sharks that inhabit Hong Kong waters at certain times of the year.

Charles Frew, Sai Kung

The answer is obviously, yes, because  this will affect the safety of people. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department  has a responsibility to alert the public about the danger of sharks near public beaches.

It should also confirm whether the nets are still effective. 'Hasn't happened' does not mean 'nothing will happen'. We should be more careful before an accident happens.

Jane Ma, Tsuen Wan

Q What is the best way to promote healthy eating?

The first thing we need to do is  change the unpleasant impressions of healthy food - bland and tasteless  - into a much more favourable one  that eating healthy foods with flavour is possible.

The key factor is the mass media. Most food television programmes at prime time, starring  pop singers and actors, promote tasty and expensive but greasy, salty and meat-only food. Seldom do we see  programmes talking about  healthy food with more vegetables.

In addition, the commercials are mostly from fast-food chains  and snack companies.

The mass media should bear some social responsibility on this issue.  Vegetarian and healthy food can be shown in various types of programmes and cooked in funny ways, as some singers did in the beautiful-girl kitchen.

In those programmes, a variety of natural and savoury food can be tasted. With such a  shift in the programme types,  healthy food will become more acceptable and popular.

Harvey Chung, Sham Shui Po

On other matters ...

While  mulling  the pros and cons of whether our frontline police  can have a five-day week, as reported in Sunday Morning Post (September 17), I came upon an interesting scene.

At midday on Sunday, four officers were standing on  the pedestrian crossing outside the Park Lane shopping arcade in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

Presumably, they were there to ensure that the few  pedestrians using the crossing obeyed the rules.

Two more officers stood chatting nearby, presumably also part of the operation.  If their bosses cannot find anything better for our valuable and overworked law-enforcement resources to do on Sundays, they should give them the day off.

That is something most of us (including  senior officers) take for granted. If, on the other hand, such a critical policing operation must be carried out, maybe four senior police officers could be found to volunteer to  do the job?

I might add that just  down the road, the hordes of fake watch and tailor shop touts were, as usual, vigorously plying their trade, to the annoyance of tourists and residents alike. There was no visible police presence there.

Ron Baker, Tsim Sha Tsui



Talkback