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Timon Johnson

Ellie Yau

At the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market, a fisherman surveys his day’s stock of fish, planning to sell his multicoloured inventory to numerous restaurants and street stalls across Hong Kong.
But as he waits along the main corridor for a customer, only his competitors fill the area.
“Business has been very difficult,” the 43-year-old fisherman surnamed Hua said. “This [market] is already the biggest hub for the industry.”
The lack of demand for his product highlights one of many challenges fishermen in Hong Kong have faced for years, with the production and value of fish declining over time.
Fishermen have sought new ways to generate income, including a proposal to allow them to operate leisure fishing trips.
The idea, which faced years of rejection, recently received government support despite initial concerns from kaito, or small-scale, ferry operators about potential competition.
Lawmaker Steven Ho Chun-yin, who represents the agriculture and fishing industry in the Legislative Council, said: “We can’t delay action any more.”
He explained that increasing competition, rising costs and shifting consumer demands have created immense pressure on the industry.
According to annual reports from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), production from Hong Kong’s fishing fleet in 2024 was valued at HK$2.4 billion (US$308 million), a 14.3 per cent drop from HK$2.8 billion in 2019.
While the department said there were 5,050 registered fishing boats as of January 2025, Ho said only about 4,000 were actively operating.
A paper submitted to Legco by the Environment and Ecology Bureau in June said that fishermen hoped the government would relax restrictions to allow their vessels to carry passengers for leisure fishing or activities promoting local fishing culture.
It said authorities were considering the feasibility of such “dual uses” of fishing vessels, including modification standards, licensing and insurance exemptions, with stakeholder consultation planned.
In response to the Post, an AFCD spokesman said: “This initiative could benefit Hong Kong by promoting the blue economy and creating new development opportunities for the fisheries industry. By allowing dual uses of vessels, it can provide fishermen with new income sources.”
The spokesman added that the proposal could attract both locals and mainland Chinese tourists, offering enriching experiences unique to Hong Kong.
Lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming initially expressed concerns about the proposal’s impact on kaito ferry operators, who transport passengers to the outskirts of Hong Kong, such as Sai Kung and the outlying islands.
According to the Transport Department, 55 licensed kaito vessels operate along 44 routes, many run by local ferry companies also struggling with declining business.
Yick said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, citywide restrictions led to a surge in people using kaito ferries to visit outlying islands.
But once restrictions were lifted, many Hongkongers preferred taking holidays to the mainland, causing a sharp drop in kaito business.
Those running scenic routes were hit the hardest.
Tsui Wah Ferry Service’s Ma Liu Shui-Tap Mun route saw passenger numbers fall from 121,000 in 2022 to 90,000 in 2023, a further drop of 16.7 per cent to 75,000 in 2024.
“The queues [for this route] used to stretch all the way along the highway,” said Tap Mun resident Oscar Lo Ying-to. “Yet nowadays, only locals take it regularly.”

To support these residents, Tsui Wah Ferry Service’s business development and compliance manager, Bery Chan, said they have kept fares low and maintained daily services.
But with tourist numbers declining, kaito services struggle to cover operational costs, making the proposed expansion of fishing vessel functions a concern.
Chan said their concerns “would significantly lessen” if leisure fishing boats had clearly defined operations and were tightly regulated.
“The ocean is so big. Anything that helps one trade will help us all,” he added.
In a reply to Yick’s question at Legco in July, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the positioning of “dual uses of vessels” activities differed from the fixed-route services of kaito ferries.
“Proposed activities should include fisheries-related elements, such as fishing demonstrations using specific gear, handling tutorials, guided tours of fishermen’s culture and fisheries workshops, rather than simply carrying passengers for sea cruising or island excursions,” she said.
Yick said he was satisfied with the government’s clarification that leisure fishing services would only take passengers out to sea and back without onshore stops, unlike kaito ferries’ “point A to point B” transport services.
The lawmaker said he would plan to arrange meetings between the government and stakeholders, including kaito ferry operators, to finalise the details.


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Struggling to stay afloat: Hong Kong fishermen reeling amid industry decline

Fishermen in Hong Kong have faced growing challenges in recent years with the production and value of fish declining. Photo: Dickson Lee

Tsui Wah Ferry Service’s business development and compliance manager, Bery Chan, has called on the government to clearly define the operations and regulate the proposed leisure fishing boats. Photo: Timon Johnson

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The Airport Authority releases juvenile fish into the waters to the west of the airport. Photo: Nora Tam

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A fish farm in Hong Kong’s Mai Po. Health authorities are also in contact with officials in mainland China about the outbreak. Photo: Eugene Lee

Kwok Chi-yau, vice-president of Federation of Hong Kong Agricultural Association, says he is confident in the safety of the local freshwater fish supply. Photo: Eugene Lee

The Department of Health says it is investigating the outbreak and a laboratory analysis of samples is ongoing. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Government-backed proposal for leisure fishing trips could offer new hope, despite ferry operators’ concerns over increased competition


Government-backed proposal for leisure fishing trips could offer new hope, despite ferry operators’ concerns over increased competition.


Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD)

Mable Chan

Struggling to stay afloat: Hong Kong fishermen reeling amid industry decline

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government-backed proposal for leisure fishing trips could offer new hope, despite ferry operators’ concerns over increased competition

Government-backed proposal for leisure fishing trips could offer new hope, despite ferry operators’ concerns over increased competition