Marine Fish Culture Ordinance

Marine fish culture is protected and regulated by the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) which requires all marine fish culture activity to operate under licence in designated fish culture zones.

Recreational fishing on mariculture raft

Since 2002, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has been allowing licensees to open recreational fishing businesses on their fish rafts. Interested mariculturists should apply to the AFCD for a consent to conduct recreational fishing activity on mariculture raft and ensure that the proposed recreational fishing activity will not interfere with the other mariculture operations and the culture environment.

Mariculturists with a valid Recreational Fishing Consent Letter may sell specific food and beverages on their fish rafts provided such activities do not affect fish culture operations or the environment within designated fish culture zones. The permitted items include pre-packaged cooked dim-sum, cup noodles, pre-packaged snacks, pre-packaged or bottled non-alcoholic beverages, etc. Microwave ovens and electric kettles are allowed to be equipped on the fish rafts for visitors' uses. Tourists who wish to visit a recreation fishing raft are advised to contact the operators of the raft on the sales of specific food and read the “Enhancement Measures for Recreational Fishing Rafts” leaflet beforehand.

At present, there are 11 fish culture zones with rafts allowed to conduct recreational fishing. They are:  

* List of rafts allowed to conduct recreational fishing

Visitors should look for rafts allowed to conduct recreational fishing. These rafts should have the following distinctive features:  

1. A Consent Letter (in Chinese only) and Code of Practice for recreational fishing on mariculture rafts issued by AFCD, a notice on the raft's carrying capacity  and a raft safety fishing area floor plan issued by a qualified surveyor, and 
    
2. Safety and sewage facilities such as railings, life buoys, life jackets, portable ladder and toilet should be installed on raft. 

When fishing on these rafts, anglers should follow the Code of Practice for recreational fishing and refrain from conducting activities that apparently or very likely affect the surrounding environments or mariculture operations in any way. These include, but not limited to, cooking, barbecuing, littering, polluting the water, conducting other water sports, making excessive noise, use of net, trap or chum bait and conducting activities outside the authorized area.

* Code of Practice for recreational fishing leaflet (Chinese version only)   

* Enhancement Measures for Recreational Fishing Rafts leaflet   

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