The evolution and future of pond and marine fish culture in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper provides a case study of the evolution of the freshwater food fish and marine food fish culture industries in Hong Kong as a highly urbanized and polluted metropolis. This study lends support to the thesis that marine fish culture is generally more sustainable than pond fish culture, owing to the fact that oceanic resources are relatively less scarce than land resources - even though the transaction costs of delineating and enforcing private property in the former are much higher. The case study gives a brief historical account of the evolution of the freshwater food fish and marine food fish culture industries in Hong Kong, identifies the technical inputs constraining the survival and prospects of these industries, and evaluates the relevance of the private property rights approach to their sustainability. Examination of the culture industries reveals the differences in property right characteristics of both industries. In addition to the differentiation in the degree of privatization between freshwater food fish and marine food fish culture, the major characteristics and inputs for culture practices in both industries are also examined. A qualitative evaluation of the relative significance of these inputs to the sustainability of the culture industries is provided. It is argued that the escalation in the factor price of land will destroy the local pond fish culture industry even though it is more 'private' than marine fish culture, notwithstanding the fact that substantial areas of intertidal ponds are owned by government and that in-filling of fishponds have been subject to stringent planning control. The policy implications of the case study are spelled out.