Diving in Sai Kung Baseline Conditions

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Diving in Sai KungBaseline Conditions

• Andries Temme
• Susan Voelkl

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Content

• Introduction
• Baseline conditions
• Environment
• Economy
• Social
• Government
• Stakeholder capabilities and awareness

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Introduction

• Statistic
• 20.000 divers in HK (estimation AFCD)
• Number of diving agencies
• Divers
• Impact of diving on enviroment
• Pick up things under water
• Food dumping
• Suntan, shampoo, etc
• Boats - pollution
• Disturbance of delicate ecosystem
• Overland pollution (transport to Sai Kung)

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Environment

• Subtropical environment 1
• Water temperatures 30C - 13C
• Wet season March - September
• 5 - 6 typhoons / year over past 18 years
• Pearl river influence highest in the west, more
  oceanic to the east
• SK specifics 2
• Strong riverine influences (pearl river)
• High coastal influence (eutrophication,
  pollution)
• Silt ? Murky water

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Environment

• Biodiversity 1
• Quite high
• Species from temperate tropical regions
• Seasonal (summer high)
• Winter fish retreat into coral framework

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Environment

• Corals
• No true coral reefs - fringing communities 1
• Found around northeast eastern waters
• Very important for biodiversity 1,2,3,4
• Sai Kung coral specifics
• Location map
• High coral cover variance
• Fairly Unhealty

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Environment

• Threats to coral communities 1
• Natural disturbance
• Coastal development
• Marine and land-based pollution
• Disease
• Over fishing Destructive fishing
• Threats by divers
• Disturbance of fish
• Sedimentation 4
• Touching/breaking coral 3
• Influences species composition 3

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Environment

• Marine protected areas (AFCD)
• Created under Marine Parks Ordinance 2001
• Increasing number of studies
• 4 Marine parks
• Hoi Ha Wan, Yan Chau TongSha Chau and Lung Kwu
  Chau, Tung Ping Chau
• 1 Marine reserve
• Cape dAguilar
• Fishing allowed under licencing system
• Only original inhabitants
• Using non destructive methods

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Environment

• Special please dont anchor here zones in SK
• Sharp Island
• Ung Kong wan (Bluff Island)

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Environment

• Does it work?
• Yes, comparative data (Tung Ping Chau) shows
  increase in fish coral abundance 1
• Data exists only for Tung Ping Chau
• Researched protection sites
• Fan Lau, Soko Island Group, Southern Lamma
  Island, Kat O Chau, Ngo Mei Chau, Tai Long Wan,
  Long Ke Wan, Bluff Island and Nine Pine Island
• Bluff Island and Long Ke Wan are in the Sai Kung
  area

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Environment

• Planned changes 1
• Initiate fishing license scheme whereby all
  commercial fishing vessels must be licensed with
  the government
• Create 2 large Fisheries Protection Areas (FPAs)
  in Port Shelter Tolo Harbour and Channel in
  eastern northeastern waters
• Extend fishing ban carried out in waters
  surrounding Hong Kong in June and July

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Social

• Transport
• Short Window
• Sunday 0830 0915
• Mainly people come by bus
• Divers - HK locals, regular customers
• Diving Community
• Weekly club nights (Marine Divers)
• Services
• 2 recompression chambers in HK

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Economics

• HK no popular tourist destination for
  waterrelated activities
• Diving activities more more popular
• SARS impact many people stayed in HK,
  discovered parks
• Big business 20 to 50pax per boat, every Sunday
  (besides Dez Jan)
• X people work in diving sector
• X companies with X boats
• 36 companies are members of HKUA

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Economics

• High season low season
• All year long, low season Dec. Jan.
• Costs of Diving trip 3 dives incl. full
  equipment and meals 600
• Saturated market
• Money into SK? Almost no benefit (?)
• Food
• Diving Boats

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Government

• No governmental restricions diving in SK
• Marine parks
• No Marine parks in SK
• 2 please dont anchor here zones
• Politics
• Responsible for marine parks conservation
  efforts on coral AFCD Marine park police

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Government

• Legislation
• No legislation concerning SCUBA diving
• Some legislation concerning marine wildlife
• Some restrictions - activities in Marine Parks
• Licenced fishing
• No anchoring
• Monitoring by Marine Park Police

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Government

• Education
• Distribution of flyers to boats in the please
  dont anchor here zones
• Distribution of information to schools
• Special stickers for dive boats
• Small museum on coral
• Trying to raise awareness on marine life

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Government

• Government participation in Reefcheck
• Only monitoring programme to monitor coral
  communities outside Marine Protected Areas
• Recommendations Reefcheck
• Better Management of tourist activities. Divers
  should be monitored, regulated, controlled.
• Less than 2 of marine area currently under
  protection need for comprehensive plan!
  Enlargement

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Stakeholder Awareness and Capacities

• NGOs / NPOs
• HK Marine Conservation Society
• WWF HK Big Fish count
• Most of them other focus
• Government
• AFCD Lack of resources
• Desire of enlargement marine park areas

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Stakeholder Awareness and Capacities

• Diving Agencies
• No awareness about
• Disturbance due to underwater traffic
• Pollution due to boat traffic
• Pollution due to overland traffic on Sunday
• Desire Marinepark in SK, no anchoring
• HKUA - HK Underwater Association
• SK residents
• Marginally involved (?)

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References

• Ang Jr., P.O., Choi, L.S., Cornish, A., Fung,
  H.L., Lee, M.W., Lin, T.P., Ma, W.C., Tam, M.C.,
  Wong, S.Y., 2004. 3.2 Hong Kong. Status of Coral
  Reefs in East Asian Seas Region, 121-152.
• Fabricius, K.E., McCorry, D., 2006. Changes in
  octocoral communities and benthic cover along a
  water quality gradient in the reefs of Hong Kong.
  Marine Pollution Bulletin 52, 2233.
• Hawkins, J.P., Roberts, C.M., Vant Hof, T., De
  Meyer, K., Tratalos, J., Aldam, C., 1999. Effects
  of Recreational Scuba Diving on Caribbean Coral
  and Fish Communities. Conservation Biology 13,
  888-897.
• Zakai, D., Chadwick-Furman, N.E., 2002. Impacts
  of intensive recreational diving on reef corals
  at Eilat, northern Red Sea. Biological
  Conservation 105, 179187

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Thank you for your time!