Today (9th) is the holiday the day after the Buddha's birthday. Different groups continue to hold religious life-releasing activities. Due to the fact that there is no legal regulation at present, an industry chain of clear buying and selling is still formed.
Many seafood stalls at North Point Wharf have the words "Free Life" posted on their signboards as a solicitation. This morning, a large number of good-hearted believers bought seafood such as dragon clam, white clam, mud squid, and Huang Lijiao, which flowed into the sea through slides or net cages, but some marine fish have already Dying, he floated and sank in the sea shortly after his release.
Some marine ecology experts pointed out that the water quality or geographical location of the wharf is not suitable for the release of fish, and urged the AFCD to cooperate with other conservation groups to guide good faith to release local fry and reduce such "wasteful death" activities.
+4
Before 9:00 a.m., all seafood stalls at the North Point Wharf have been opened one after another, and fish goods from fishing boats have been transported into the stalls for sale. Some seafood stalls are marked with the words "release" on the signboard, and there are also stalls that indicate that they are available for release. As for sea turtles, the cheaper white clams and mud scallops can be traded for more than 100 yuan, and the more expensive ones are a few hundred yuan for a single dragon buckwheat or a plate of yellow lily, depending on the budget of the good faith.
Seafood stalls release activities are clearly bought and sold into an industrial chain
After 10 o'clock in the morning, a large number of good faith groups came to the scene one after another. They first selected their favorite targets at the seafood stall, paid on the spot, and then the fish stall workers used red boxes to hold sea water to cheer up and transport the designated release species to the nearest ferry. There is a "release area" opposite the gate of the wharf. There is a Buddha platform next to the gate to place a statue of a bodhisattva and an incense burner, and a release slide is set up for good believers to release seafood into the sea. Some good believers recited the scriptures for half an hour, and then, with the assistance of fish stall workers, they picked up the seafood and put them in the fish cages, and put them directly into the sea to release the nets. By the time the crowd reached the peak before noon, as many as ten people waited in turn.
Because some fish were dying before they were released, even if the fish stall workers kept pumping up in the water, they died in vain when they were put into the sea. They floated and sank in the sea, and some fishes such as scorpions floated to the edge of the pier and were caught on the spot by anglers. take away.
Laws that do not regulate the release of animals, the Food and Health Bureau studies amendments to crack down
Although religious groups have held life-releasing prayer ceremonies for many years, the release of animals has been controversial in recent years.
Last year, Legislative Councillor Ho Chun-yin asked the Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan, about releasing animals to unsuitable locations or releasing unsuitable animals, which may damage the ecological environment and even trigger a public health crisis. When asked the Food and Health Bureau to explain how to follow up, The bureau replied that the current law does not prohibit animal release activities. Currently, it has cooperated with 3 organizations concerned with release activities, including the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden, the Society for the Protection of Animals, and the Hong Kong Amphibian and Reptile Association. Posters to educate citizens about the possible impact of life release activities.
At the same time, the bureau is in the process of revising the definition of cruelty to animals in the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) based on research. It is also illegal, and we are making every effort to advance the drafting of the legislation, striving to submit the bill to the next Legislative Council for deliberation as soon as possible.
Ecological experts urge release of local fry instead
Zhang Mashan, president of the Applied Geological Research Society, which studies marine ecology, said that the water quality of the wharf is not good, and there is no sediment protection on the seabed. Since it is not suitable for releasing any fish or clams, there is a great chance that "release" will become "death", and it will also be derived Excessive hunting to meet the release behavior will eventually affect the local marine ecology.
Some of the released squid were not adapted to the water quality and floated and sank in the sea.
(Photo by Mo Jiawen)
She also pointed out that the government department has not regulated the release of animals for many years, "every year it is noisy, but it can't handle it every year." She believes that public education should be strengthened. For example, the Agriculture and Fisheries Department should cooperate with other conservation organizations to encourage The release of local fry, she cited as an example that the number of sea red spots commonly seen in Hong Kong has been greatly reduced due to overfishing. In recent years, the mainland has released sea red fry in southern China in order to increase the survival rate and reproduction number. Release at a suitable location will only cause more marine life to die in vain, which will not only affect the water quality, but also disrupt the entire marine ecology.
Buddha's Birthday│Tuen Mun Nearly 100 good faith release groups persuaded to stop and failed The mandarin woman told the geoduck: be a man in the next life
01 Community