Keeping sea life afloat: How can fishermen be the answer to save Hong Kong's marine life?
Could the Philippines show Hong Kong the way ahead in protecting its coastal habitats while also throwing a much-needed lifeline to fishermen?
On a sunny morning, half a dozen single-cylinder fishing boats with wide bamboo outriggers line up side-by-side at an old wharf at Puerto Princesa’s Honda Bay.
One boat whizzes off with a group of South Koreans lugging bags of snorkelling gear. Another leaves shortly after packed with local tourists heading out for a day of recreational fishing.
It was only a few years ago that these “eco tour guides” lived a hand-to-mouth existence from the only trade they knew – catching fish. Today, they are the appointed co-guardians of one of the Philippines’ many marine protected areas and sanctuaries.
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Hong Kong green groups and fishermen, who visited Puerto Princesa recently, wonder if the city can do the same.
While more marine protected areas across Hong Kong are needed, conservationists and fishers say they will have to be better planned, designed, managed and enforced. A lack of proper enforcement and creative management planning has undermined their environmental and recreational potential.
“The government has been using the same method to protect marine resources since 1996,” said Samantha Lee Mei-wah, a marine conservation officer at WWF-Hong Kong. That was when the first marine park was set up to protect threatened fish stocks.