Prosecutions relating to the illegal use of bright lights for fishing in Hong Kong waters soared last year, as authorities vowed again to step up patrols to combat the improper use of LED lamps to lure fish to the surface.
There were 31 cases relating to the illegal use of bright light fishing activities that resulted in prosecution in 2023, a Marine Department (MD) spokesperson told HKFP by email on Monday, almost double the number of prosecutions over such activities in the previous four years, which stood at 17.
Fishing with bright lights is permitted in parts of Hong Kong waters, but there are strict stipulations about the illuminations involved. According to the city’s shipping regulations, each lamp should be “shaded, installed and used [so] that no light emitted from it shall be visible, whether directly or by reflection from any source other than sea surface, above a horizontal plane passing through the lowest edge of the light source.”
The Marine Department last August vowed “to step up patrols to combat the improper use of bright light for fishing activities so as to ensure safe navigation.” In a statement released on Thursday, the department said it had conducted joint operations with the police and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) against suspected illegal fishing activities on Tuesday and last Friday.
“During the operations, five vessels were inspected and among them four vessels were suspected to have used bright light improperly for fishing, while no vessel was found to be engaged in illegal fishing,” the Marine Department said.
From January to May, the Marine Department conducted 25 special operations in Hong Kong waters, including off southern Lantau Island, southern Lamma Island, and the south and east of Hong Kong Island. The department spokesperson told HKFP that “six prosecutions had been initiated against the fishing vessels in relation to illegal bright light fishing,” as a result of those patrols.
The maximum penalty for those guilty of illegal use of bright lights for fishing is a HK$5,000 fine.
Additionally, owners of boats that have engaged workers from China under the Mainland Fisherman Deckhands Scheme, designed to help alleviate a manpower shortage in the fishing industry, may lose their right to hire such crew if convicted of an offence.
The AFCD told HKFP last Monday that it was “currently processing several cases related to operation of bright light fishing that were in contravention of relevant legislation.”
Grants of up to HK$50,000 were available to help “eligible fishermen” buy approved equipment, “including light and shade for purse seine fishing with specifications in compliance with relevant legislation” and “to improve the sustainability of their operations,” the AFCD added.
Adverse environmental effect
Bright-light fishing becomes more noticeable in Hong Kong during the summer months, when an annual fishing moratorium is implemented by mainland Chinese authorities in the South China Sea, prohibiting most fishing activities by Hong Kong fishing fleets outside the territory’s waters.
For residents in coastal communities, the period brings increased and sometimes intrusive marine light pollution. Environmental groups, including NGO The Green Earth, have warned that the “artificial glow” of the bright lights “adversely affects the environment, disrupts coastal residents, harms marine life, and poses risks to navigation.”
The organisation last year said it had received reports of fishing vessels shining bright lights in the waters near Lamma, the only place in Hong Kong where endangered green turtles sometimes nest. “We are concerned that the unregulated use of bright fishing lights could affect the long-term health of our marine ecosystem,” Steven Chan and Thomas Chan of The Green Earth wrote in an op-ed for HKFP last August.
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
