The Threat of Obsolescence to the Freshwater Fish Farming in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's freshwater fish farming industry is facing the threat of obsolescence as a result of many factors, such as infrastructure development, the aging of the local fishing community, pollution, and competition from mainland China. The impact of these factors may bring about the decline of the fish farming industry, and may cause the total loss of one of Hong Kong's traditional occupations. This would not only mean the loss of the traditional freshwater/brackish fish farming industry, which was such an important part of the postwar social and economic development of contemporary Hong Kong society but also the loss of the important role that the fish farming industry plays in the maintenance of the nature heritage of the wetlands of Hong Kong, which serve as vital refueling stations for many migratory birds that travel between the North and the South every year. In this research project, we will examine the historical background of this traditional industry to better understand how the social development and local and environmental politics regarding the operation and management of commercial fishponds contribute to wetland conservation and the development of cultural tourism. Taking the long-term operation of commercial fishponds as an example of sustainable natural heritage preservation, this research project seeks to show how the local ecology is socio-culturally related to its surrounding communities, and to explain why freshwater fishpond farming is an essential ingredient in the sustainable development policy of Hong Kong.

香港淡水魚養殖的衰微
香港淡水魚養殖業正在受到威脅，它的衰落是多種因素共同作用的結果——比如基礎設施的發展、地方漁業社區的老化、污染以及與大陸的競爭等。這些因素使得漁業養殖逐漸勢微，可能會造成一個香港傳統行業的整體損失：這不僅意味著淡水魚/海魚養殖業要失去它們昔日在戰後香港社會和經濟發展中佔據的重要角色，同時這一行業也要失去他們在香港濕地自然遺產保育、保存中的重要位置，而香港的濕地對於每年南北遷徙的侯鳥來說，是關鍵性的補給地。在此研究項目中，我們將要考察這一傳統行業的歷史背景，以便更好地理解社會發展、運作和管理商業魚塘的地方環境政策如何影響濕地的保育、保存和文化旅遊的發展。把商業魚塘的長期運作作為自然遺產可持續保護的個案，本研究將表現地方生態如何和它周圍的社區發生文化社會性的聯繫，並且解釋為何淡水魚養殖業是香港可持續發展政策的必要部分。

(For more information, please contact: sidneycheung@cuhk.edu.hk)

Related articles [相關的論文]：
Cheung, C.H. Sidney

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