Consultancy
Ref.: AFCD/FIS/02/19 Consultancy Service for Environmental Impact Assessment
Study for Designation of New Fish Culture Zones Executive
Summary for Establishment of Fish Culture Zone at Po Toi (Southeast) November
2022 |
CONTENTS
1.3 Purpose and Objectives of this EIA Study
2..... Objectives and benefits of the project and
consideration of alternatives
2.1 Purpose and Objectives of the Project
2.3 Scenarios With and Without the Project
2.3.1 Without Project Scenario
2.4 Consideration of Different Development Options
2.4.1 Development Option by Expanding the
Existing FCZs
2.4.2 Development Option by Identifying
Suitable Sites for New FCZs
2.4.3 Consideration of the Size and
Boundary of the Project Site
2.5 Fish Farm Designs to be Adopted at the Proposed FCZ
2.5.1 Consideration of Construction Methods and Sequence
2.6 Summary of Key Environmental Problems Avoided and
Sensitive Areas Protected
2.7 Summary of Alternative Mitigation Measures
2.8 Consideration of Public Concerns
3.2.3 Tentative Implementation Programme
4..... Legislative Requirements, Evaluation Criteria and
Sensitive Receivers
5..... Summary of Environmental Impacts
5.7 Environmental Monitoring and Audit
List of Tables
Table 2.1 Summary of Benefits
of the Project
Table 2.2 Environmental
Consideration of Fish Farm Designs
Table 5.1 Summary of Environmental Impacts
List of Figures
Figure 1.1 Location Plan for the Establsihment of Fish Culture Zone (FCZ) at Po Toi
(Southeast)
Figure
2.1 Proposed Locations for the Establishment of Fish Culture Zones
Marine fish
culture has been an important activity for fisheries production in Hong Kong
over decades. Mariculture
activities are required to operate under licence in designated Fish Culture
Zones (FCZs) under the Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (MFCO) (Cap. 353).
In view of the environmental impact resulting from mariculture, there
has been a moratorium on the issue of new marine fish culture licences (MFCLs)
and licensed raft area extensions in the existing FCZs since 1990, as well as
on the designation of new FCZs, except for a limited number of forced re-sites
necessitated by public works. Given the
technical advancement in mariculture techniques and strengthening of regulatory
measures together with the changes in the operation of the sector over the
years, the environment of FCZs and marine environment in the vicinity have
improved significantly in the past two decades.
In
2010, the Committee on Sustainable Fisheries (CSF), which was established by
the Government to study the long-term goals, direction
and feasible options for the sustainable development of local fisheries
industry, recommended a review of the moratorium to
facilitate fishermen to switch from capture fisheries to mariculture. Mariculture is considered a practical
alternative for capture fishermen to make a living as their knowledge on marine
environment and fish would be useful in farming marine fish.
To pave the
way for facilitating the sustainable development of the local mariculture
sector, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) proposed
to lift the moratorium by designating new FCZs and issuing new MFCLs. In 2014, the AFCD commissioned a consultancy
study to explore suitable sites as new FCZs on
the basis of a list of social and environmental criteria with
reference to the latest international fish culture practices ([1]). Relevant stakeholders, including Government bureaux
/ departments and mariculture representatives, have been consulted to gauge
their views on site selection. The
mariculture sector in general supported the designation of new FCZs and agreed
that the sector should be modernised.
Four locations have been shortlisted as potential sites for the
designation of new FCZs, including Wong Chuk Kok Hoi FCZ, Outer Tap Mun FCZ, Mirs Bay FCZ and Po Toi (Southeast) FCZ. The Chief Executive announced in the 2018
Policy Address that the Government would recommend designating new FCZs at
suitable locations, which would create room for the mariculture sector to grow
further, including allowing capture fishermen to switch to this sustainable
mode of operation, making it possible for the development of newer type of deep-water
mariculture in the open sea, and attracting new entrants.
This
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies one of the proposed FCZ sites, i.e. Po Toi (Southeast) FCZ
(hereafter referred to as “the Project”). The location plan of the Project is
shown in Figure 1.1.
The Project aims to establish a new
FCZ at Po Toi (Southeast) to facilitate the sustainable development of the
local mariculture sector. The scope of
the Project includes:
§ Assembly and anchorage of fish
farm structures which are manufactured off-site, including fish rafts / cages,
auxiliary facilities and mooring system, within the
Project site; and
§ Marine fish culture activities
within the Project site regulated under the Marine
Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353).
No land-based works, structures and
activities will be involved in the Project.
The
Project is a designated project by virtue of Item M.1(a) of Part I of Schedule
2 of the EIAO, which specifies “A fish culture zone more than 5 ha in size” and
requires an Environmental Permit (EP) under the EIAO for its construction and
operation.
In accordance with the requirements
of Section 5(1)(a) of the EIAO, an application for an EIA Study Brief for the
Project was submitted on 15 October 2019 under EIAO with a Project Profile (PP)
(No. PP-593/2019). An EIA Study Brief (No.ESB-327/2019) for the Project (hereafter referred to
as “the Study Brief”) was issued on 27 November 2019 in accordance with
Section 5(7)(a) of the EIAO.
The
purpose of this EIA study is to provide information on the nature and extent of
environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the
Project and associated works that will take place concurrently. This information will contribute to decisions
by the Director of Environmental Protection on:
§ the overall acceptability of any adverse environmental
consequences that are likely to arise as a result of the Project;
§ the conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project to mitigate
against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable; and
§ the acceptability of residual impacts after the proposed
mitigation measures are implemented.
The
detailed requirements of the EIA Study are set out in Clause 3 of the Study
Brief. As specified in the Study Brief,
this EIA Study has addressed the key environmental issues associated with the
construction and operation of the Project.
This EIA
Report has been produced in accordance with the requirements in the EIA Study
Brief (No. ESB-327/2019) and the Technical
Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process issued under the EIAO
(EIAO-TM) for the Project, the aim being to obtain an EP under the EIAO. The description of the Project presented in
the EIA Report has been based on the best available information from AFCD that
describes the relevant construction activities, operational details, and baseline
information describing the conditions relating to the Project and its
surrounding environment.
The Project
involves the establishment of a new FCZ at Po Toi (Southeast) for mariculturists
to operate their fish rafts. The main
purpose and objective of the Project is to provide opportunities to develop a
newer type of deep-water mariculture, create room for the mariculture sector to
grow further and attract new entrants, potentially allowing capture fishermen
to switch to a sustainable mode of operation.
The
benefits of the Project have been discussed in detail in Section 2.3
of the EIA Report and are summarised in Table 2.1:
Table 2.1 Summary of Benefits of the Project
Description |
|
Sustainable
mariculture development in Hong Kong |
§ Increase local mariculture production to support local demand
for live marine fish, with a quality, healthy, safe, diversified and stable
supply with low carbon footprint; § Provide an avenue for capture fishermen, who face various
operational challenges, to switch to a sustainable operation mode, which in
turn alleviates local fishing pressure and promotes the conservation and
recovery of fisheries resources and preservation of the marine environment; § Allow mariculturists of the existing FCZs to consider pursuing
modernised and sustainable modes of operation in the new FCZs, such that the
marine environment of the existing FCZs can improve when the level of
mariculture activities there decreases; § Larger production scale enabled with technology can allow
operating costs to be optimised, and hence improving cost-efficiency and competitiveness; § Provide high value-added fisheries products and assists the
fisheries sector to seize the opportunities in the Greater
Bay Area (GBA) and other places; § Attract new entrants and business opportunities to further grow
the sector and related trades organically, also providing employment
opportunities.
|
Advanced
Mariculture Operation in Deeper Waters |
§ More fish stock can be kept within a larger area of the water
column to achieve optimal stock density and a good mariculture environment; § Sufficient buffer distance amongst fish cages and between the
fish cage and seabed will be maintained and thus allowing adequate water
circulation and prevents the build-up of organic content and degradation of
the nearby marine environment. Organic
content is also not built up on the seabed and maintenance dredging and sediment
removal are therefore not required for FCZ in deep waters, and the associated
water quality impacts and related ecological and fisheries impacts can be avoided; § Use of weather-resistant materials of fish cages could reduce
general / floating refuse on the sea; § The fish cage design could withstand strong waves and surges
such that the fish cages can remain onsite during typhoons with minimal fish
loss/ escape and can effectively reduce impact of fish escape on local
ecology and fisheries and offsite impact as a result of fish cage relocation due
to adverse weather; § Only commercial pellet feed or alternative feed with better feed
conversion ratio will be allowed at the proposed FCZ. This
could effectively reduce organic loading due to feed wastage, and reduce
potential transmission of parasitic and infectious disease which in return
may cause organic loading due to fish carcasses and dead fish arising from
the fish culture operation; § Use of green technology and automation could reduce feed wastage
and physical labour, as well as reduce emissions (e.g.
from diesel generators for electricity generation), wastes and water quality
impacts; § Fish farm structures have the potential to provide artificial
substrates beneficial to the marine habitat. |
In the absence of new FCZs, the
fisheries sector would need to rely on existing FCZs to provide grounds for
mariculture development. Consequently the industry would have limited capacity to
make use of advanced, and most importantly more environmentally friendly,
mariculture technologies which work best in deeper waters and have limited
potential and cost-efficiency to be adopted in the existing FCZs mostly in
shallow waters. Even though some
elements of the mariculture operations could be modernised and improved, e.g.
use of more weather resistant and durable materials, renewables energy and
technology, better quality of fish feed etc., there is little room to enhance
the mariculture environment and production in the existing FCZs given the lack
of incentives from the existing family-based, small-scale operations, and the
reluctance of new entrants to invest in mariculture in these existing FCZs
which is once perceived as environmentally constrained and financially
risky. These existing FCZs operating as
status quo are not suitable for the sustainable development of mariculture in
Hong Kong. Without new mariculture sites
and methods, it will be challenging for
mariculturists to invest and diversify, mariculture production will continue to
decline in quality and quantity with reference to the production trend of
previous years, fishermen’s livelihood will be adversely affected, and the
development of the fisheries sector will be halted.
The proposed FCZ at Po Toi (Southeast) is one of
the measures that support the sustainable development of
mariculture in Hong Kong through the designation of new FCZs. With the Project in place, the environmental
benefits associated with the sustainable development of mariculture and the use
of advanced mariculture operation (Table 2.1) can be realised. Ultimately, in line with the long-term goals
developed by the Committee on Sustainable Fisheries that AFCD set up in late
December 2006, the establishment of new FCZs can contribute to the sustainable
management of marine resources and preservation of the marine environment for
our society to enjoy, while providing
a supply of fresh and quality fisheries products to local consumers, and creating job opportunities to the
fisheries sector and related trades such that fishermen and fish farmers can achieve
self-reliance and maintain their livelihoods in the changing business operating
environment.
The development option by expanding
the existing FCZs was explored. Given
most of the existing FCZs are located in inshore areas
with shallow water depths, these locations are not feasible to support the more
advanced type of deep-water mariculture in line with the global practice. In addition, there exists other development
constraints around the existing FCZs, such as existing marine usage, ecological
sensitive receivers, etc. Sediment
removal may also be required periodically to maintain a suitable environment
for mariculture. As such, the
environmental impacts are likely to be more detrimental for FCZs in inshore
areas with shallow water depths. This
will limit the potential for developing sustainable mariculture and promoting the
modernisation and competitiveness of the fisheries industry. Therefore, expansion of existing FCZs is not
a feasible development option for the Project.
The criteria for the site selection
of sustainable mariculture were reviewed with reference to international guidelines
(e.g. the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)),
which include minimum water depth, wave exposure, water quality, the
compatibility with the existing usage and environment,
accessibility and infrastructure and site security.
A site search was conducted to
identify suitable locations in Hong Kong waters for the development of new FCZs
considering the site selection criteria and this is discussed in Section
2.5.1.2 of the EIA Report. Incompatible areas with absolute constraints were
excluded, while the compatible areas for a suitable location were considered taking into account environmental,
physical and operational constraints. As western Hong Kong waters are under
the influence of freshwater discharges from the Pearl River Estuary, eastern
Hong Kong waters are preferred when identifying suitable sites for new
FCZs. The most
suitable areas for FCZ development were then identified based on avoidance of
encroachment onto environmentally sensitive areas, selection of site with
better water flushing rate, and operational consideration such as accessibility
and availability of pre-existing infrastructure. Four sites, namely Wong Chuk Kok Hoi, Outer
Tap Mun, Mirs Bay, Po Toi (Southeast) (Figure 2.1), are selected for the
establishment of new FCZs based on the site selection criteria and views from
stakeholders. These sites avoid the
encroachment to areas with ecologically important habitats, such as marine parks
/ reserve, coral habitats with high ecological value, key marine mammal
habitats, wintering and nesting grounds for birds, mangroves
and horseshoe crab habitats. The
identified sites are also relatively remote, which minimise impacts on air
quality, noise and visual sensitive receivers.
The Project site boundary has
been designed taking into account the environmental,
physical and operational constraints.
The Project has been sized to provide sufficient capacity for sustainable
mariculture activities, without compromising the existing surrounding
environment.
For instance, the options between the establishment of a single larger
FCZ and smaller FCZ at different locations have been considered. While the
establishment of a single larger FCZ will concentrate the pollution loading in
a particular area, the establishment of small FCZ at different locations will
reduce the organic loading and therefore minimise the impact to coral
communities and habitat for marine ecological and fisheries resources in the
surrounding waters.
Besides, the extent and
boundary of the Project site has also been optimized with sufficient clearance
to minimise the impacts to coral communities along
the coastline, as well as habitats for marine ecological resources and
fisheries resources. Meanwhile, sufficient clearance to navigation routes has
been provided to minimise the potential risk of fish
escape and introduction of invasive species to the marine environment due to
accidents/ collisions of marine vessels with fish farm facilities. The Project
site has also been positioned with a 50 m clearance between the low water mark
and the inshore boundary.
Different fish farm designs have
been considered with regard to the Project site (see Section
2.6 of the EIA Report) and the environmental considerations in
selecting the preferred fish raft for the proposed FCZ are summarised in Table
2.2. Overall, traditional fish
cages on rafts with fewer environmental benefits are considered not suitable
for the Project site. Four modern fish
rafts with advanced features with various environmental benefits including
floating gravity cage/ submersible gravity cage, integrated multi-trophic
aquaculture (IMTA) and semi-submersible steel truss cage, are reviewed and considered suitable and preferable for the new
FCZ. While the environmental performance of the modern fish rafts is generally
similar, the type of fish farm/ raft to be deployed at the proposed FCZ will be
subject to the fish farm operational plan submitted by the future licensees for
agreement with AFCD.
Table 2.2 Environmental Consideration of
Fish Farm Designs
Fish Farm Design |
Environmental Consideration |
Traditional Cages on Rafts (Photo Source: AFCD) |
§ Most of the traditional rafts are built on-site using timber and
supported by floating units made of empty plastic drums or polystyrene foam
floats, which may lead to waste being released to the sea during the construction; § Not weather resistant and require frequent maintenance and major
repairing, which result in more waste generation during mariculture operation; § Susceptible to weather damage, therefore traditional cages have to be installed at inshore and sheltered waters where
maintenance dredging and sediment removal may be required. |
Advanced Technologies – Floating Gravity Cage /
Submersible Gravity Cage (Photo Source: Polarcirkel
Plastic Cage, Qingdao Qihang Fishing Cage Co., LTD) |
§ Fish farm components are prefabricated offsite which reduces on-site
construction activities and waste generation and hence minimising potential
impact to the surrounding environment; § Use of technology (e.g. real-time
surveillance and water quality monitoring, renewable energy sources such as
solar and wind) and automation (e.g. fish feeder) can reduce labour intensive
activities, hence reduce potential disturbance to ecology and environment
from feed wastage, workforce wastes, vessel trips, etc.; § Cages made of weather-resistant materials such as high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) and steel truss cages are more durable and of good
quality, with less waste generation from damage or repair; § Submersible/ semi-submersible fish cages are designed to endure adverse
weather conditions. Fish loss/ escape
due to cage/raft damage can therefore be minimised and potential impact of
introduction of invasive species on local ecology and fisheries could be
reduced. Besides, the need for
temporary relocation of fish raft due to adverse weather is also reduced and
therefore reducing the associated potential impact; § Separation distance between fish rafts / cages and between the
cage bottom and seabed would be maintained to allow adequate water flow in
between and reduce impacts on water quality such as changes in flow regime
and build-up of organic content, reducing the subsequent ecological and
fisheries impacts in the vicinity and degradation of the nearby marine environment; § Since organic content is not built up on the seabed, maintenance
dredging and sediment removal are therefore not required for FCZ in deep
waters, and the associated water quality impacts and related ecological and
fisheries impacts can be avoided; and § Fish farm structures have the potential to provide artificial
substrates for marine organisms to colonise and build diverse and functional
habitats. |
Advanced Technology – Integrated Multi-trophic
Aquaculture (IMTA) |
|
Advanced Technology – Semi-submersible Steel
Truss Cage (Photo Source: AFCD) |
With the use of advanced
mariculture technologies, a majority of the framework of the fish cages will be
prefabricated off-site, and then tow the fish farm framework to the Project
site for assembly and anchorage. It is
in fact unlikely that this more advanced type of deep-water mariculture can be
completely assembled from raw materials on-site and there is no alternative
construction method. Prefabrication work
off-site can minimize the construction duration on-site and hence reducing the
duration when potential impacts to the environment can occur. It is expected to
avoid generation of construction and demolition (C&D) materials and
potential water quality impact from construction site run-off during the
construction of the Project. Generation
of underwater sound is minimised in this method, with less disturbance to
marine and fisheries habitats. Also,
less labour input required on site would result in reduction of waste generated
from human activities.
A summary of the key environmental
problems avoided with the environmentally friendly options and recommended
environmental designs of the Project have been discussed in Section 10.3 and
Section 10.4 of the EIA Report and the summary is provided in Table 2.3.
Table 2.3 Key Environmental Problems
Avoided, Sensitive Areas Protected and Environmental Outcomes Achieved
Design Approach |
Key Environmental Problems
Avoided, Sensitive Areas Protected and Environmental Outcomes Achieved |
Migration to environmentally friendly
modernised mariculture |
§ Adverse impacts from mariculture activities to water quality,
marine ecology, fisheries and waste management would
be avoided. |
Site selection to avoid encroachment onto
environmental sensitive areas |
§ Direct impact from anchorage, assembly and operation of FCZ to marine
ecological resources such as artificial reefs, coastal protection area are avoided. § Adverse impacts to marine ecology and fisheries due to
encroachment onto environmental sensitive areas would be avoided. |
Site sitting at deeper waters to
avoid organic accumulation and the need of sediment removal |
§ Adverse impacts from maintenance dredging and sediment removal
works to water quality, marine ecology and fisheries would be avoided. |
Control
maximum standing stock level |
§ Adverse impacts from mariculture activities to water quality,
marine ecology and fisheries would be avoided. |
Adopt
modern prefabricated fish culture raft |
§ Adverse impacts from on-site construction to water quality,
marine ecology, fisheries and waste management would
be avoided. |
Adopt modern fish farm designs and
advanced mariculture technologies |
§ Adverse impacts from mariculture activities to water quality,
marine ecology, fisheries and waste management would
be avoided. |
Adopt fish farm designs and layout to
maintain adequate water flushing |
§ Adverse impacts from mariculture activities to water quality,
marine ecology, fisheries and waste management would
be avoided. |
Viable sites of the Project have
been considered during the Project’s Feasibility Study, based on the
environmental benefits and dis-benefits for the construction and operation of
the new FCZs. Various development
options are reviewed and considered in the EIA study. The environmental
benefits and dis-benefits of the development options are summarised in Table
2.4. Po Toi (Southeast) is one
of the proposed sites which met the selection criteria for new FCZs and is
sited to avoid encroaching sensitive receivers (e.g.
ecologically important habitats, areas of high fisheries importance). To
further minimise potential impacts, the Project site
will adopt modernized and advanced type of aquaculture technologies and operate
within the maximum standing stock as
identified in this EIA study.
Table
2.4 Summary of Environmental Benefits
and Dis-benefits of the Development Options and Alternative Mitigation Measures
Considered for the Project
Benefits |
Dis-benefits |
|
Project Siting |
||
Preferred Option Site
selection of sustainable mariculture with reference to international guidelines,
which include minimum water depth, wave exposure, water quality and the
compatibility with the existing usage and environment |
§ Avoid encroaching into ecological sensitive
receivers e.g. marine reserves, coral habitats of high
ecological value and areas of high fisheries importance, thus avoid impacts to marine ecology and fisheries § Remote area at Po Toi Southeast minimises
impacts
on air quality, noise, and visual sensitive
receivers |
§ May pose potential environmental impacts to newly affected
areas. However, careful site selection and fish farm design have been done to
avoid / minimise potential impacts |
Alternative Option Expanding
existing FCZs |
§ Limit environmental impacts to areas that are already affected
by existing FCZs |
§ Development constrained by existing marine usage and nearby
ecological sensitive receivers. Water flushing rate is generally lower due to
inshore and shallow waters of the existing FCZs. Impacts to water quality, including
restricted dispersion and accumulation of organic loading due to FCZ
operation, are likely to occur when more mariculture production is necessary
to support the development of mariculture in Hong Kong. § Sediment removal may be required periodically to maintain a
suitable environment for mariculture.
The environmental impacts are likely to be more detrimental for FCZs
in inshore areas with shallow water depths.
Alternative
mitigation measures such as deployment of silt curtain and control of dredging
rate, etc would be required to minimise the water quality and marine ecology
impact. |
Project
Size / Scale |
||
Preferred Option Establishment
of smaller FCZ at different locations |
§ Establishment of smaller FCZs to reduce the organic loading at
individual site, to minimise impact to coral communities and habitat for
marine ecological and fisheries resources. § With sufficient clearance to navigation routes, accidents /
collision of marine vessels with fish farm facilities, and potential risk of
fish escape and introduction of invasive species to the marine environment
can be minimised. |
§ Affect more areas with potential environmental impacts but
better control of impact intensity to within relevant criteria |
Alternative Option Establishment
of a single larger FCZ |
§ Limit environmental impacts to single location but with higher
intensity |
§ The pollution loading from mariculture operation will
concentrate in a particular area. The potential impacts to water quality,
marine ecology and fisheries of the surrounding waters are expected to
increase. |
Fish
Farm Layout and Design |
||
Preferred Option Use of advanced mariculture fish farm designs (e.g. HDPE cages, steel stuss cages) |
§ Durable and weather-resistant material would
less likely to get damaged or repaired and result in less waste generated. § Less susceptible to damage during adverse weather condition,
such as typhoons, and minimise potential risk of fish loss / escape, and
subsequent impact on local ecology and fisheries; and also
minimise impact due to fish cage relocation. § Adequate water flow and dispersion of organic content between
cages / rafts, and along the water column is allowed. Adequate clearance from seabed will also be
maintained. Water quality impacts such
as changes in flow regime and build-up of organic content are minimised. Subsequent ecological and fisheries impacts
in the vicinity and degradation of the nearby marine environment could be
reduced. The need for maintenance dredging and sediment
removal during construction and operation of the Project is also avoided. § Use of green technology and automation could reduce feed wastage
and physical labour,
hence reduce potential disturbance to water quality, ecology and environment
from feed wastage, workforce wastes, vessel trips, etc. |
§ Higher setup cost |
Alternative option Use of traditional
fish farm designs (e.g. made of
timber supported
by floating units made of empty plastic drums or polystyrofoam
floats) |
§ Lower setup cost |
§ Non-weather resistant materials and easy to get damaged or
repaired. More wastes are expected to
be generated. § Susceptible to damage from adverse
weather conditions such as typhoons. Potential
risk of fish loss / escape is higher, and subsequent impact on local ecology
and fisheries; and also impact due to fish cage
relocation would increase. § Potential impact on water flow and dispersion of organic content
between cages / rafts, and along the water column might be present, and
result in the build-up of organic content on seabed. Maintenance dredging and sediment removal may be
required periodically and water quality impacts
would arise. Subsequent
ecological and fisheries impacts in the vicinity and degradation of the
nearby marine environment would also increase. Other mitigation measures will be required
to control and minimise impacts to water quality, such as the use of silt
curtains, closed grab dredger, etc. § Require more labour input and hence increase potential
disturbance to ecology and environment from feed wastage, workforce wastes,
vessel trips, etc. |
Construction
Methods and Sequence of Works for the Project |
||
Preferred option Fish farm framework are pre-fabricated
off-site, then assemble and anchored on-site |
§ Minimisation of construction duration on-site and hence reducing
the duration when potential impacts to the environment can occur. § No generation of C&D materials on-site and potential water
quality impact from construction site run-off during the construction of the
Project is avoided. The use of silt
curtain and construction boats for silt curtain deployment are therefore not
required, the subsequent impacts to marine and fisheries habitats such as
underwater sound from marine vessels are minimised § Less labour input required on site would result in reduction of
waste generated from human activities |
§ N/A |
Alternative option No alternative option applicable as the fish farm
framework used for advanced type of mariculture is large in scale, and could not be constructed from raw materials on
site. |
§ N/A |
§ N/A |
The Project Profile of this Project
was exhibited to the public for comments on 16 October 2019, and stakeholder
engagement activities which commenced in June 2021 were conducted during the course of this EIA Study. These activities included briefings and
meetings with special interest groups, members of the Legislative Council,
fishermen groups, mariculturists, environmental bodies etc. The comments received from the public and key
stakeholders mainly focused on the potential impacts of the Project on water
quality, marine ecology, fisheries, waste management and visual
aspects and are discussed in Section 1.5 of the EIA Report. These impacts are assessed in this EIA Study.
The Project
site is located at waters off southeast Po Toi (Figure 1.1).
The Project area is approximately 100 hectares (~850 – 1,500 m long and
~850 m wide) in size. The site is exposed
to prevailing eastern and southeastern winds and is
located at water depths of -20 m to -35 m.
There is no
historic use of the Project site based on the existing information. The Project is not located within and in the
vicinity of historical or existing infrastructure facilities. No historical contamination concern is
identified within the Project site. The
nearest village / residential area is over 2,000 m away at Tai Wan on Po Toi
Island. There is an existing fish
culture operation at Po Toi FCZ that is over 2,000 m from the Project site.
The Project
is comprised of the following key components which are discussed in detail in Section
2.9 of the EIA Report:
§ Fish
rafts / cages manufactured off-site which will be towed to the Project site;
§ Mooring
system to be anchored to the fish rafts / cages and assembled on site; and
§ Auxiliary
facilities, such as storage space and shelters would be positioned by anchor
lines attaching to the anchorage points on the seabed.
The
detailed number, size and separation distance of the fish rafts / cages would
be determined at a later stage. No
land-based works will be involved in the Project.
The Project
may have the potential to interact with existing FCZs in the vicinity. This EIA Study did not identify any other
existing or committed projects in the vicinity of the Project site which may
potentially interface with the construction and operation of this Project. The cumulative impact assessment is based on
the worst-case scenarios of concurrent operation of all existing and planned
FCZs as sources of pollution and the impacts are addressed in this EIA Study.
For all
types of advanced aquaculture technologies, the
construction of the proposed Project will mainly involve the setup of fish farm
structures, including fish rafts / cages, auxiliary facilities (such as storage
areas on communal rafts) and mooring system at sea. No land-based works, structures and
activities are involved in the Project and no landscape areas will be
affected. The scale of construction work
on-site is relatively small, and the installation of fish farm structures are expected
to be completed within a few weeks for each fish raft. Main components of the rafts
/ cages are manufactured off-site and will be towed to the Project site using tug boat. On-site
assembly and anchoring of the fish rafts / cages will be assisted by a small
number of marine vessels such as sampans and small speed boats for up to a few
trips per day. These vessels will be the
major means of transport to the Project site during the construction phase and
anchoring of these vessels might be required.
No dredging works are required during the construction phase and no
heavy construction plant would be used.
Fish rafts / cages and auxiliary facilities, such as storage space and
shelters, will be positioned by anchor lines attaching to the anchorage points
on the seabed. Use of winch might also
be required during the assembly and anchorage of fish rafts / cages. Depending on the design and specifications,
required works to assemble fish rafts onsite could vary and may include tighten
up connections by nuts and bolts, ropes or equivalent, assembling parts with
pre-casted grooves, etc. All
construction activities shall be conducted during daylight hours.
Mariculture
activities, such as management of fish raft / cages and fish stocks within the
Project site at sea will be undertaken during operation phase. No land-based works, structures and
activities are involved in the Project and no landscape areas will be affected. Limited numbers of small power generators
will be used on fish rafts to support daily mariculture activities. The transportation of fish stocks, fish feed,
fish raft equipment and workforce as well as occasional visitors will mainly
make use of small marine vessels such as sampans and speed boats for a few trips
a day. These vessels will be the major
means of transport to the Project site during operation phase. As the fish farm facilities will be used
mainly for fish farming purposes, auxiliary facilities such as storage space
and shelters will be present, while as automated / remote fish feeder machines
will be adopted in the Project to reduce physical labour input. Mariculturists are not anticipated to live on
the rafts as in some traditional fish farms.
No maintenance dredging or sediment removal will be required during FCZ
operation.
AFCD
will limit the number of marine fish culture licences issued to control the
standing stock of the Project site to within its maximum carrying capacity of
1765.4 ton at any given time as identified in this EIA study. Licensees would be required to submit a fish
farm operational plan to AFCD under the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap.
353) that describes site practices and control of mariculture activities to
minimise impacts on the environment. The general
management of the new FCZs shall follow the Marine
Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353) and Marine
Fish Culture Regulations (Cap. 353A).
Subject to
the completion of this EIA study and issuance of EP, legislative exercise will
be carried out to amend the Schedule to the Fish Culture Zone
(Designation) Order (Cap. 353B) by negative vetting for designating new
FCZ. Consequential amendments to other related ordinances will also be made as
necessary. After the designation of the
new FCZ tentatively in Year 2023, AFCD will grant new marine fish culture
licences to the mariculturists who successfully apply to operate in this FCZ.
Construction
activities by licensees are expected to commence in Year 2024, subject to the
timing of application and approval of the new marine fish culture licence. Mariculture activities are expected to
commence after the completion of construction by licensees,
and would typically last for more than 10 years without major repair.
This EIA
Study has described the potential impacts associated with the construction and
operation of the Project on water quality that have been identified and
analysed for compliance with the prevailing WQOs stipulated under the Water
Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) and the Technical
Memorandum Standards for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and Sewerage
Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters (TM-ICW), Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), and the
criteria and guidelines stated in the EIAO-TM Annexes 6 and 14 respectively.
The
Assessment Area for the water quality assessment includes the Southern Water Control Zone (WCZ) and extends to Mirs
Bay WCZ for the sensitive receivers near Waglan
Island. Historic baseline water quality data shows that
occasional exceedance of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) have been recorded at
monitoring stations near the Project site.
Beside TIN, the water quality at this southeastern
part of Hong Kong is generally good. Water Sensitive Receivers (WSRs)
were identified in the Assessment Area, including:
n
Recreational areas, such as
secondary contact recreation subzones of WCZs;
n
Marine Reserve;
n
Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI);
n
Existing and proposed FCZs;
n
Habitats for marine organisms
including coral and benthic communities, and Finless Porpoise; and
n
Spawning ground of commercial
fisheries resources.
The potential
impacts arising from the construction and operation phases of this Project to
these WSRs have been evaluated and the findings are summarised in Section
5.1.
The
potential impacts of the construction and operation activities of this Project
on marine ecology have been assessed in this EIA Report. The impacts have been identified and analysed
for compliance with the criteria and guidelines stated in the EIAO-TM Annexes 8 and 16 respectively.
The
Assessment Area for marine ecological impact assessment is the same as the
assessment area for water quality impact assessment. Known marine ecological important habitats
and species in the vicinity of the Project site within the Assessment Area
include SSSI, existing marine reserve, coral communities,
marine benthos of conservation interest, and ecologically important species
including Finless Porpoise and White-bellied Sea Eagle.
Field
surveys, which include subtidal (benthic and coral) surveys were conducted
during September 2020 to February 2021 to update the baseline conditions of the
marine habitats and assemblages within and around the Project’s footprint. Results of the field surveys confirmed the
findings of the literature review, and are presented below:
§ Recognised
Sites of Conservation Importance: These
include existing marine reserve (Cape D’ Aguilar Marine Reserve) and SSSI (Hok Tsui
(Cape D'Aguilar) SSSI).
§ Marine
Mammals: According to the latest AFCD Marine Mammal
Monitoring Report 2021/22 ([2]),
records of Hong Kong’s resident marine mammal species, the Finless
Porpoise (FP) Neophocaena phocaenoides, are present in the Assessment
Area. FPs are mainly distributed in the southern and
eastern waters of Hong Kong. The Project site therefore overlaps with the
FP habitat located in the southern Hong Kong Waters.
§ Horseshoe Crab, and its Breeding and Nursery Grounds: No horseshoe crabs were
found within the Assessment Area and at the Project site, therefore, the impact
of the Project on horseshoe crabs is therefore not anticipated.
§ Mangroves: No
mangrove stands were found within the Assessment Area and at the Project site,
therefore, the impact of the Project on mangroves is therefore not anticipated.
§ Coral Communities:
The field survey results indicated that the majority of corals recorded within the Assessment Area were common and widespread
species in Hong Kong. Ahermatypic hard
corals Tubastrea / Dendrophyllia
sp. were common at both shallow and deep areas while other corals and benthos
were generally present in isolated colonies.
The coral coverage was ranged from low to moderate (<5% - 30%) at
areas in the vicinity of the Project site.
High coverage of octocorals and black corals (51-75%) were found mainly
in deep waters of Lo Chau Mun (Southeast of Beaufort Island) located ~3 km away
from the Project site, which is considered to be far
away to be affected by the Project works.
§ Amphioxus: Desktop
data indicated that amphioxus were present within Hong
Kong’s eastern waters, with densities ranging from 10 to 400 ind / m2 predominantly at sites in Tai Long Wan,
Nam She Wan, Long Ke Wan and Pak Lap Wan off the Sai
Kung Peninsula which are out of the Assessment Area. No record of
amphioxus was observed in the baseline subtidal benthos surveys within the
Project site.
§ Other Intertidal and Subtidal Assemblages: Other intertidal
and subtidal benthos species reported from the field surveys and literature
review in the Assessment Area are common and widespread in Hong Kong with no
species of conservation importance. Previous studies have indicated that the benthic
communities at southern waters were found to have a more homogenous benthic
composition and diversity, reflecting relatively higher ecological importance
than other regions, including northeastern waters,
western waters and Victoria Harbour.
§ White-Bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE): The species was recorded in 4-6 years in the
Sung Kong nesting ground from 2002 to 2020 at >1 km away from the Project
site. The species is uncommon but widespread
in Hong Kong. Compared with other
nesting sites, the usage of the nesting site as breeding ground is relatively
low and adverse impact to WBSE from the Project is
therefore not anticipated.
Based
on the literature and survey data, the ecological importance of waters at the
Project site is considered low. Other marine habitats (e.g.
intertidal, subtidal hard bottom, subtidal soft bottom) at the Project Site and
its vicinity are generally considered as of low ecological importance, while
moderate ecological importance of subtidal hard-bottom habitat was at Lo Chau
Mun (Beaufort Island Southeast).
The
potential impacts arising from the construction and operation phases of this
Project to these marine ecological resources have been evaluated and the
findings are summarised in Section 5.2.
The
potential impacts to fisheries caused by the construction and operational
activities of this Project have been assessed in this EIA Report. The impacts have been identified and analysed
for compliance with the criteria and guidelines stated in the EIAO-TM Annexes 9 and 17 respectively.
The
Assessment Area and sensitive receivers for fisheries are the same as those
identified in the water quality impact assessment and sensitive receivers for
fisheries are identified as follows:
n
Recognised spawning ground of
commercial fisheries resources in southeastern waters
which is located within the Project site;
n
The nearest recognised nursery area
of the southern waters is located in the vicinity of Port Shelter which is out
of the Assessment Area;
n
FCZ at Po Toi (located at ~2.3 km
west of the Project site); and
n
Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve (located at ~4 km
northwest of the Project site) and
A review of
baseline information on commercial fisheries resources, habitats and fishing
operations surrounding the waters of the Project site from available literature
has been undertaken. Results from the
review indicated that moderate to high levels of fishing operation with
moderate level of fisheries production were reported at the Project site. The Assessment Area including the Project
site generally supported fish families of low commercial value. Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve which supported
fish families with higher commercial values is located at some distance away
from the Project site. The potential for
the Project site and its immediate vicinity to function as a unique spawning
ground and nursery area is relatively low.
The
potential impacts arising from the construction and operation of this Project
on these sensitive receivers have been evaluated and the findings are
summarised in Section 5.3.
The
potential waste management implications caused by construction and operation
activities of this Project have been assessed in this EIA Report. The assessment followed the technical requirements
given in Appendix E of the Study
Brief. The impacts have been identified and analysed for compliance with the
criteria and guidelines stated in the EIAO-TM
Annexes 7 and 15,
respectively.
An analysis
of waste generation activities was conducted to identify the quantity, quality
and timing of the waste arising from the construction and operation activities
of the Project. Appropriate waste
management measures including waste generation reduction, recycling
and disposal options, as well as alternative project design, are also proposed
for each type of wastes taking account of potential hazard, air and odour
emission, noise, wastewater discharge and public transport in order to minimise
waste generation and maximise waste reduction within the Project site.
The
potential impacts arising from the construction and operation of this Project
on waste management have been evaluated and the findings are summarised in Section
5.4.
This
EIA Study has identified five VSRs, including visitors at Cape D’Aguilar,
academics working at the Swire Institute of Marine Science, hikers at Tung Lung
Chau, travellers on ferry from Sai Wan Ho and Tung Lung Chau as well as hikers
and tourists visiting Po Toi Island. The
quality of most existing views towards the Project is generally good, with a
high degree of visibility to natural views.
The
potential visual impacts and glare effect from the construction and operation
phases of this Project to these sensitive receivers have been evaluated and the
findings are summarised in Section 5.5.
The potential impacts to cultural
heritage, in particular marine archaeology, associated with the construction
and operational of this Project have been assessed in this EIA Report. The assessment followed the Requirements for
Marine Archaeological Investigation (MAI) (Appendix
G of the Study Brief). The impacts
have been identified and analysed to be in compliance with
the criteria and guidelines stated in the EIAO-TM
Annexes 10 and 19 respectively.
No sites of archaeological interest,
declared monuments, proposed monuments, graded historic
sites/buildings/structures, or Government historic sites identified by
Antiquities and Monuments Office are present within the Assessment Area. The
MAI identified four
sonar contacts within the Assessment Area, which is likely to be modern, recently deposited debris that would not be of
high archaeological potential.
The
potential impacts arising from the construction and operation of this Project
on cultural heritage have been evaluated and the findings are summarised in Section
5.6.
The
construction for this Project will not involve civil or marine works. The construction works include the assembly
of parts to form fish rafts for mariculture, as well as the towing and
anchoring of fish rafts from other location(s) to the new FCZ using tug boat. The towing
and anchoring of fish rafts is expected to have very
limited impact on water quality. The
level of sediment suspended in the water column from anchoring will be very
limited and localised. Besides, the
Project site is overall deep enough such that propeller would not have interaction with the seabed sediment and so SS
elevation due to propeller wash is not anticipated. The use of chemicals on-site is expected to
be minimal and no unacceptable water quality impact from the onsite
installation of fish raft would be expected.
Details of tools and materials adopted on-site would be determined by
the future licensees.
Because of
the lack of major works to be conducted, it is unlikely there will be a
significant workforce present during construction phase, and any sewage /
wastewater generated shall be collected at the transportation / work vessel(s)
for disposal at appropriate facilities on land.
No unacceptable water quality impact from sewage / wastewater from
workforce is anticipated.
The maximum
standing stock of the Project site was estimated using an established computer
modelling system. AFCD will ensure the
production scale of the Project site will not exceed the maximum standing stock
level by controlling the mariculture production scale permitted under
individual license. The potential change
in water quality due to mariculture activities at the Project site have been
assessed using computer simulations, which considered the influence of other
nearby FCZ operations as well as pollutants from the rest of HK and the
Guangdong area. Compliance with WQO
criterion is achieved at most of the identified water sensitive receivers,
except for total inorganic nitrogen. The residual impacts of elevation in total inorganic
nitrogen were further assessed in the respective marine ecology and fisheries
impact assessment and considered as minor and acceptable. In addition, the
slight increase in total inorganic nitrogen is not expected to result in
increased risk of red tide, unacceptable water quality impact
from Project operation is therefore not anticipated.
Temporary
relocation of fish rafts may be conducted at the discretion of licensees with
AFCD’s agreement in case of potential circumstances that affect mariculture
activities. The fish rafts will be
relocated away from ecological and fisheries sensitive areas, as well as marine
fairways and utilities. Such relocation
will be temporary and the fish rafts will return to
the Project site upon the cease of the circumstances. Given the operation phase modelling results
indicated no unacceptable change in water quality from mariculture activities
at the Project site, if some of the mariculture operation is temporarily
relocated, the associated pollution load would likely to be more spread out to
a wider area and the potential change in water quality would be even less
significant. Therefore, it is expected
the potential temporary relocation of fish rafts would not result in adverse
change in water quality exceeding the case under normal operation.
Sufficient
separation distance will be maintained between fish rafts / cages to allow
water flow. Therefore, the presence of
floating structures of fish rafts will not exert significant drag on the tidal
stream and no notable change in flow regime would be expected.
Mariculturists
at the Project site would be required to strictly observe the requirement under
Cap. 529 Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance and have strict
control on prescription drugs. In AFCD’s
regular inspection of existing FCZs in recent years, there was no identified
case of excessive storage of drugs or pharmaceuticals. Therefore, there would be very limited
pharmaceuticals for fish kept onsite and those would be stored at secured
locations, and discharge of water containing pharmaceuticals is not expected from
daily operation. In view of the above,
the risk of spillage of fish drugs or pharmaceuticals is low.
Only pellet
feed or alternative feed with better feed conversion ratio will be permitted
within the proposed FCZ. Spilled /
excess fish feed generally does not persist for considerable amount of time
because of attempt for recovery by crew or consumption by existing fish
population. Bags of feed dropping into
the sea during storage or transportation will be recovered by the crew. Even if not recovered, the bag would limit
the exchange materials such that the nutrient content would unlikely be
released all at once and result in significant water quality impact. In view of this, the risk and consequence of
such scenario are deemed minimal and no unacceptable impact on water quality is
expected.
Operational
activities would involve the removal of fouling organisms of the rafts. Fouling
organisms are usually removed mechanically so chemical is generally not
required. Dislodged fouling biomass
falling into the sea would not constitute additional pollution load because
such biomass has fed on the original pollution source from the fish farm
operation.
Disinfection
of culture gears is required for disease control. Amongst different methods of disinfection,
submersion to water dosed with formaldehyde or bleach within enclosed container
could be used. Chemical used will be
required to be stored properly onsite and disposed of by licensed contractor. No onsite disposal would be allowed.
Given small
marine vessels such as sampans and speed boats will be used during mariculture
operation for a few trips a day, increased marine traffic would not result in
notable change in water quality.
Generation of sewage by staff and visitors onsite would be limited. Sewage shall be stored on vessels or at the
mariculture facilities and be regularly disposed by licensed contractor, and no
sewage from staff will be discharged into the sea.
The
disturbance of marine habitats (up to ~100 ha), including marine waters and
benthic habitats due to the assembly and installation activities of fish rafts
are considered as environmentally acceptable to marine ecology due to the
temporary nature of the construction activities, availability of similar
habitat in the vicinity and low ecological importance of the affected area. FPs usage of marine waters around Po Toi and southern waters of Hong Kong
were shown to be moderate and no recorded sightings were found within the
Project site, overall the disturbance would represent a small fraction of the widely available
habitat.
Other
disturbances such as the generation of noise, glare and dust from construction
activities are considered environmentally acceptable to marine ecology as
marine species, mostly fishes and marine mammals, would temporarily avoid areas
in the vicinity of the works area or close to the source of disturbance, while major lighting sources will be pointed
inward and downwards to avoid disturbance to wildlife.
Underwater
sound and increase marine traffic generated from marine construction activities
are also not expected to result in unacceptable impacts to marine ecological
resources, considering the relatively small number of marine vessels present
temporarily during fish farm construction and the habituation of similar sounds
by marine organisms in the current underwater soundscape. No marine
ecological-specific mitigation measures are required during construction.
As the fish
farm structures will not occupy all of the Project
site, the disturbance of about <100 ha of marine habitats within the Project
footprint is considered to be acceptable to marine ecology considering the
small extent of area affected in the context of similar habitat available in
the vicinity and low ecological importance of the affected area. The area affected also represents only a small portion of the available
habitat for the FPs and a minor portion of an individual animal’s movement
range, therefore, unacceptable impacts on marine mammals are not expected. Recolonisation by marine organisms in the new artificial habitats
provided by the fish farm structures is expected to occur.
Fish rafts /
cages are built with permeable nets to allow water exchange with the marine
environment and no unacceptable change in hydrodynamics is expected to
occur.
Other
disturbances such as the generation of noise, glare and dust from operation
activities are considered environmentally acceptable to marine ecology as
marine species, mostly fishes and marine mammals, would temporarily avoid areas
in the vicinity of operational area or close to the source of disturbance,
while major lighting
sources will be pointed inward and downwards to avoid disturbance to wildlife.
Unacceptable
adverse impacts to marine ecological resources and marine reserve, associated
with increased marine traffic and underwater sound from project vessels, are
not expected to occur during Project operation. Isolated incidents (e.g. typhoon and algal bloom) may require temporary
relocation of fish raft and additional vessel movements during such emergency
conditions, however, considering the small number of marine vessels required and
the temporary nature of the operation, unacceptable impacts of increased marine
traffic due to temporary relocation of fish rafts on marine ecological
resources are not expected.
Increase of
underwater sound due to fish farm operation would be temporary which the underwater sound
characteristics of these vessels are similar to the
operations at Po Toi FCZ, Po Toi pier and other marine traffic
nearby. Marine organisms in these waters are
habituated to the background level of underwater sound and unacceptable impacts on marine ecological resources are not
anticipated.
Impacts of changes in water quality
arising from mariculture activities are predicted to be largely confined in the
vicinity of the Project site and the
adjoining waters. In addition, the corals at southeastern side of Po Toi Island are also
expected to experience the slight increase of predicted TIN levels under the
Project. Considering the historical
record of elevated TIN levels in Southern WCZ, the impact due to the predicted
increase of TIN levels at the Project site is expected to be of minor
significance. The slight
increase in total inorganic nitrogen levels is not expected to result in
increased risk for red tide / algal bloom.
No
unacceptable change in water quality is predicted at all marine ecological
sensitive receivers when comparing the baseline and project scenarios.
Potential
Impact on the introduction of invasive species is considered minor with regular
monitoring of mariculture facilities to prevent fish escape. No unacceptable impacts to marine ecological
resources and species of conservation importance are expected to occur. No marine
ecology-specific mitigation measures are required during operation.
Direct
impacts arising from the proposed fish farm construction works include
temporary disturbance (a few weeks for each fish
raft / cage) to fisheries habitats within the area and water column
partially occupied by the fish farm structures, and loss of access to potential
fishing ground with an area of approximately 100 ha. Fish farm structures, such as fish cages will
occupy a section of the water column and the disturbance of seabed due to the
anchorage of fish farm structures will be confined to a thin surface layer
(<0.5 m) within a small area. Considering the temporary nature of
disturbance during construction phase, the impacts on fishing activity are considered to be of minor significance. Potential impacts of elevated levels of
underwater sound as a result of construction activities
are considered acceptable with the presence of existing underwater sound from
the Po Toi FCZ, Po Toi pier and other marine traffic nearby. No unacceptable construction phase impacts to
fisheries are expected to occur and no fisheries-specific mitigation measures
are required during construction.
Direct
impacts arising from mariculture activities will include changes in fisheries
habitat within the area and water column occupied by the fish farm structures,
and loss of access to fishing grounds within the FCZ (100 ha). The fish farm structures will not fully
occupy all of the Project site area but mainly a
section of the water column and a small area of seabed confined to a thin
surface layer (<0.5 m). The presence
of fish farm structures will also provide hard substrates that could be
colonised by a variety of marine organisms and bringing potential positive
effect on fisheries resources.
Considering suitable fishing grounds
outside of these structures can allow similar fishing activities to take place
and the majority of fisheries resources found in and
around the vicinity of the Project site are of low commercial value,
unacceptable impacts on fisheries are not expected. Impacts to fishing activity are localized
with moderate impact on fishing operation as fishing activities are not allowed
inside fish farm structures. Nevertheless, suitable fishing grounds outside of
these structures can allow similar fishing activities to take place. Therefore,
unacceptable impacts on fishing activity are not expected. Potential impacts of elevated levels of
underwater sound generated from the marine vessels in the vicinity of the
Project site are considered acceptable with the presence of existing underwater
sound from the Po Toi FCZ, Po Toi pier and other marine traffic nearby. Temporary relocation of fish rafts may occur
over a short time, therefore, unacceptable impacts are
not anticipated. Impacts of changes in
water quality arising from mariculture activities are predicted to be largely
confined in the vicinity of the Project site.
Considering the historical record of
elevated TIN levels in Southern WCZ and also
preventative measures to be adopted at the Project site, the impact due to the
predicted increase of TIN levels at the Project site is expected to be of minor
significance. The management of fish health will be conducted
regularly to prevent fish disease outbreaks, including the Fish Health
Inspection Programme to be conducted regularly by AFCD and the implementation
of good mariculture practices by licensees.
No unacceptable operational phase impacts to fisheries are expected to
occur and no fisheries-specific mitigation measures are required during
operation.
The
assessment concludes that no C&D materials and chemical waste will arise
from the construction of the Project.
The amount of general refuse generated from site workers and the
floating refuse entrapped by the fish cages/ fish rafts are anticipated to be
insignificant. The construction of the
Project site will take only a few weeks for each fish raft.
Adequate
waste containers will be provided at appropriate locations to facilitate
recovery of recyclables within the Project site. Regular clearance and disposal of waste are
also required to avoid odour and litter impact.
With the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended, no
unacceptable environmental impacts arising from storage, handling, collection, transport and disposal of wastes during the construction
phase are anticipated.
It is
expected that less than 100 kg organic waste, including uneaten fish feed, fish
excretion and fish carcasses, will be generated per day during the operation
phase. Regular removal of these organic
wastage will be required within the licensed area with proper storage using
enclosed containers and disposed of at the nearest accessible FEHD refuse
collection points with public pier following the existing practice under Cap.
353. In the unlikely case that
significant amount of dead fish occur, the licensed
fish farmers would inform AFCD immediately.
AFCD will then liaise with relevant Government departments (e.g. Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Marine
Department) to collect the dead fish from the Project site directly as necessary. All staff and visitors shall refrain from
littering to the sea.
Waste
impact related to generation of general refuse, as well as the entrapment of
marine floating refuse, within the Project site are expected to be
insignificant. Adequate waste containers
will be provided at appropriate locations to facilitate recovery of recyclables
within the Project site. Regular
clearance and disposal of waste are also required to avoid odour and litter
impact. Small amount of chemicals will
be generated, which will be carefully handled under the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical
Wastes and collected by licensed chemical waste collector to licensed
chemical waste treatment facilities for disposal at the Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre (CWTC) at Tsing Yi. With the implementation of the mitigation
measures recommended, no unacceptable environmental impacts arising from storage,
handling, collection, transport and disposal of wastes
during the operation phase are anticipated.
Construction
works will take a few weeks for each fish raft.
The duration of impact is temporary; and the impact is reversible. Mitigation measures, including reduction of
construction period on site and sensitive design of the fish rafts / cages,
would further reduce the impacts to all VSRs.
With the
implementation of mitigation measures, unacceptable visual impacts due to the
construction of the Project are not anticipated.
The FCZ
facilities are not expected to be higher than 3 m in height above water (except during maintenance), and only the upper part
of the fish rafts / cages would be above the waters, they would only block part
of the view in the vast sea. The
duration of impact is temporary; and the impact is reversible. The new structures will be designed in
accordance with relevant marine safety standards and regulations. Sensitive
architecture design will be considered where practicable. Residual visual impacts will be insignificant
to slight.
Night-lighting
will be used for safety purpose in this Project and the light sources will generally
be of low intensity, the orientation of light will point towards to the fish
rafts / cages, and will not be pointing horizontally
and to the VSRs. In addition, no mirrors
or polished materials will be installed on the fish rafts / cages, reflectance
of light will be low. Therefore, the
night lighting and glare impact is considered acceptable.
With the
implementation of mitigation measures, unacceptable visual impacts due to the
operation of the Project are not anticipated.
Potential
impact on four sonar contacts
(D-SC005, D-SC009, D-SC013, and D-SC055) that may
have marine archaeological potential is identified for construction phase of
the Project. A buffer area of 20 m
radius from each of the sonar contacts is recommended to avoid any tug boat anchoring, and anchoring of the fish rafts / cages
in the areas so as to avoid any impact to these sonar contacts. The locations and
relocations of fish rafts / cages are regulated by the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353), and AFCD will ensure the
locations of anchoring of vessels and fish rafts / cages will not be located
within the buffer area. Site inspections
on a regular basis by the Environmental Team (ET) are recommended to check if
any seabed disturbance work is conducted in the buffer areas. With the implementation of mitigation
measures, unacceptable impacts on cultural heritage due to the construction of
the Project are not anticipated.
Potential impact on four
sonar contacts (D-SC005, D-SC009, D-SC013, and D-SC055) during operation phase can be avoided by setting a
buffer area of 20 m radius from each of the sonar contacts is recommended to
avoid any tug boat anchoring, and anchoring of the
fish rafts / cages in the areas so as to avoid any impacts to these sonar
contacts. The locations and relocations of fish rafts / cages are regulated by the Marine Fish
Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353), and AFCD will ensure the
locations of anchoring of vessels and fish rafts / cages will not be located within
the buffer area. AFCD will conduct
regular site inspections to check if any seabed disturbance work is conducted
in the buffer areas. With the
implementation of mitigation measures, unacceptable impacts on cultural
heritage due to the operation of the Project are not anticipated.
A summary
of the environmental impacts is presented in Table 5.1. This EIA Study
of the Project has been demonstrated to comply with the EIAO-TM
requirements. Actual impacts during the
construction and operation works will be monitored through a detailed EM&A
programme. Full details of the programme are presented in the EM&A
Manual associated with this EIA Report. This programme will provide
management actions and supplemental mitigation measures to be employed should
any impacts arise, thereby ensuring the environmental acceptability of the
construction and operation of this Project.
Baseline marine water quality monitoring at all designated monitoring stations
including control stations shall be conducted prior to the commencement of the Project
construction of any licenced fish raft.
In addition, bi-weekly site
inspections are recommended to be conducted regularly by the ET during
construction phase of the Project to verify that appropriate environmental
protection and pollution control mitigation measures are properly implemented
in accordance with this EIA.
Water
quality monitoring at selected WSRs will be conducted during the operation
phase of the Project according to the EM&A programme
to confirm no unacceptable change in water quality at the nearby water
sensitive receivers. Details of the programme are presented in the EM&A Manual
associated with this EIA Report.
Mariculture
water quality monitoring will also be conducted by AFCD, in addition to the
operational phase water quality monitoring at sensitive receivers, to regular
monitor the operation and water quality within the proposed FCZ.
Table 5.1 Summary of Environmental Impacts
Sensitive
Receivers/ Assessment Points |
Relevant
Standards and Criteria |
Results of
Impact Predictions |
Extents of
Exceedances Predicted |
Impact Avoidance
Measures Considered |
Mitigation
Measures Proposed |
Residual Impacts
(After Mitigation) |
|
Potential
Impacts |
Significance of
Impacts (Without Mitigation) |
||||||
Water Quality |
|||||||
Water Sensitive Receivers (WSRs)
within Southern WCZ
and Mirs Bay WCZ: § Recreational areas, such as secondary
contact recreation subzones of WCZs § Marine Reserve § SSSI § Existing and proposed FCZs § Habitats for marine organisms including
coral and benthic communities, and Finless Porpoise § Spawning ground of commercial fisheries
resources |
§ Annexes 6 and 14 of EIAO-TM § Water Pollution Control Ordinance § Technical Memorandum for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and
Sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters § WQOs for: · Southern WCZ · Mirs Bay WCZ §
Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) |
Construction Phase §
Towing and onsite installation of fish rafts §
Sewage / wastewater from workforce |
§
No unacceptable impacts §
No unacceptable impacts |
No |
§ Sufficient separation distance will be
maintained between fish rafts / cages to allow adequate water flow and reduce
impacts on water quality such as changes in flow regime. § Licensing would be based on the maximum
allowable standing stock of the Project site to limit potential change in
water quality. § No sediment removal/ dredging works will
be conducted. § No on-site construction except for
assembly and towing works will be conducted. |
Construction Phase §
Any sewage /
wastewater generated should be collected at the transportation / work
vessel(s) for disposal at appropriate facilities on land. |
§
No unacceptable residual impacts are anticipated. |
Operation Phase §
Changes in water quality from pollution loadings arise from
mariculture operation §
Changes in hydrology and flow regime due to presence of mariculture
facilities §
Spillage of fish drugs, pharmaceutical chemicals
and feed additives §
Wastewater from daily operation of fish farms, disinfection of gears,
and sewage from workforce §
Increased marine traffic, boating and visitor activities |
§ No unacceptable impacts § No unacceptable impacts § No unacceptable impacts § No unacceptable impacts § No unacceptable impacts |
Compliance
with WQO criterion is achieved at the identified WSRs for most water quality
parameters, except for Total Inorganic Nitrogen |
Operation Phase § Standing stock
should not exceed 1765.4 tonnes at any given time. AFCD will ensure the
production scale of the Project site will not exceed the maximum standing
stock level by controlling the mariculture production scale permitted under
individual license. § In
case of potential circumstances (e.g. red tide
event, outbreak of fish disease), the licensees will review the need of fish
raft relocation and propose the fish raft relocation plan as necessary for
agreement with AFCD. § Only
pellet feed or alternative feed with better feed conversion ratio will be
permitted within the proposed FCZ. § No
chemically-laden solution from culture gears
disinfection should be discharged into the sea. § Onsite
storage of chemicals should be controlled and minimised as practicable. Excess chemicals as well chemical waste
generated should be removed from the site at appropriate facilities or by
licensed contractor as soon as possible. § Fuel
storage onsite should be minimised, and if needed, be located at sheltered
and secure location. § Littering
of the sea should be prohibited. |
||||
Marine Ecology |
|||||||
Marine Ecological Sensitive
Receivers within Southern WCZ: § SSSI § Existing marine reserve § Coral communities § Finless Porpoise § White-bellied Sea Eagle |
§ Annexes 8 and 16 of
the EIAO-TM § EIAO Guidance Notes No. 6/2010, 7/2010 and 11/2010 § Marine Parks Ordinance § Wild Animals Protection Ordinance § Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance § Country Parks Ordinance § Town Planning Ordinance § Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines Chapter 10 (HKPSG) § United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (1992) § Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC)
Regulations and Guidelines |
Construction Phase § Habitat disturbance §
Underwater sound generated from marine construction activities and marine vessels |
§
Minor significance §
Minor significance |
No |
§ Avoidance measures as detailed above § Avoid areas of high marine ecological
importance, such as existing marine reserve. |
Construction Phase §
N/A |
§ No unacceptable residual marine
ecological impacts during the construction and operation of the Project are
anticipated. § The fish farm structures, which would
provide artificial substrates for forming habitat and shelter for juveniles
or adult fisheries, would provide positive effects on marine ecological
resources within and adjacent to the Project Site. |
Operation Phase § Changes in marine habitats (marine waters and benthic habitat) § Change in water quality due to temporary relocation of fish
rafts § Underwater sound from daily operations
and marine vessels § Change in water quality during fish farm operation § Introduction of invasive species |
§
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance |
No |
Operation Phase §
Same as mitigation measures proposed for water quality. |
||||
Fisheries |
|||||||
Fisheries
Sensitive Receivers within Southern WCZ: § Recognised spawning ground of commercial fisheries
resources § Po Toi FCZ § Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve |
§ Annexes 9 and 17 of the EIAO-TM § Fisheries Protection Ordinance § Marine Fish Culture Ordinance § Water Pollution Control Ordinance |
Construction Phase § Direct disturbances to fisheries habitat
and loss of access to fishing grounds §
Underwater sound generated from marine construction activities and
marine vessels |
§
Minor significance §
Minor significance |
No |
§ Avoidance measures as detailed above. § Avoid areas of high fisheries
importance. |
Construction Phase §
N/A |
§ No unacceptable residual fisheries impacts during the construction and operation of the
Project are anticipated. § While the proposed FCZ would provide more
fisheries resources to the local and global fisheries market, the fish farm
structures would also provide artificial substrates, which could form habitat
and shelter for juveniles or adult fisheries resources. Besides, the reduced
fishing pressure may also have potential positive effect on fisheries
resources within and adjacent to the Project site. |
Operation Phase § Changes in fisheries habitats and loss
of access to fishing grounds at the location of fish farm structures § Change in water quality due to temporary
relocation of fish rafts § Underwater sound from daily operations and marine vessels § Change in water quality during fish farm
operation § Potential outbreak of fish diseases |
§
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance §
Minor significance |
No |
Operation Phase §
Same as mitigation measures proposed for water quality. |
||||
Waste Management |
|||||||
Project Area |
§ Annexes 7 and 15 of the EIAO-TM § Technical requirements as stated in Appendix E of the Study Brief § Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO) (Cap 354) § Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354C) § Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap 353) § Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap 28) § Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132) – Public
Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation § Merchant Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance (Cap
413) § Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Ordinance
2021 |
Construction Phase § General
refuse and floating refuse generated |
§
No unacceptable impact |
No |
§ Migration to environmentally friendly modernised mariculture § Adopt modern prefabricated fish culture
raft § Adopt modern fish farm designs and
advanced mariculture technologies § Adopt fish farm
designs and layout to maintain adequate water flushing |
Construction Phase § Nomination of approved personnel (e.g. environmental officer of the contractor(s),
representative of the project proponent) to be responsible for good site
practices, arrangements for collection and effective disposal to an
appropriate facility of all wastes generated at the site. § Training of site personnel in proper waste
management and handling procedures by AFCD. § Provision of sufficient waste disposal
points and regular collection for disposal. § Appropriate measures to reduce windblown
/ floating litter and dust during transportation of waste by transporting
wastes in enclosed containers. § A recording system (e.g.
log book for mariculture operation) for the amount of wastes generated,
recycled and disposed of and the disposal sites for checking by AFCD. § Provision of adequate waste containers
at strategic locations to facilitate recovery of recyclables § Regular clearance and disposal of waste
to avoid odour and litter impact § |
§ No unacceptable residual impacts are
anticipated. |
Operation Phase § Organic waste, chemical waste, general refuse and floating refuse generated |
§ No unacceptable impact |
No |
Operation Phase § Nomination of approved personnel (e.g. environmental officer of the contractor(s),
representative of the project proponent) to be responsible for good site
practices, arrangements for collection and effective disposal to an
appropriate facility of all wastes generated at the site. § Training of site personnel in proper
waste management and handling procedures by AFCD. § Provision of sufficient waste disposal
points and regular collection for disposal. § Appropriate measures to reduce windblown
/ floating litter and dust during transportation of waste by transporting
wastes in enclosed containers. § A recording system (e.g.
log book for mariculture operation) for the amount of wastes generated,
recycled and disposed of and the disposal sites for checking by AFCD. § Regular removal of organic wastes within
the licensed area with proper storage using enclosed containers and dispose
at the nearest accessible FEHD refuse collection points with public pier § Provision of adequate waste containers
at strategic locations to facilitate recovery of recyclables § Regular clearance and disposal of waste
to avoid odour and litter impact. § Careful handling of chemical waste under
the Code of Practice on the Packaging,
Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes § Use of properly designed fish cages/
rafts with no sharp turns or abrupt indentation to minimise
trapped or accumulated floating refuse § Use of good quality feed, i.e. pellet feed, to reduce uneaten feed wastage § The fish farmers will keep detailed
operational records to allow more accurate estimation of fish feed input and
to minimise unnecessary wastage of feeds § The uneaten feeds should be cleaned up
immediately to minimise leaching to the adjacent
water |
||||
Visual |
|||||||
Visual Sensitive Receivers
(VSRs) that may be affected by the Project: § Recreational users § Occupational users § Travelling users |
§ Annexes 10
and 18 of the EIAO-TM and EIAO
Guidance Note 8/2010 (Preparation of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance) § Hong
Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) issued by the Planning
Department (November 2015), in particular Chapter 11
Urban Design Guidelines § Study
on Landscape Value Mapping of Hong Kong |
Construction Phase § Setup of fish rafts / cages § Provision of auxiliary facilities |
§
No
unacceptable impact |
No |
§ Site selection at some distance away
from visual sensitive receivers. |
Construction Phase § Pre-construction
and construction period for the Project site should be reduced as far as
practical to lower visual impact. § The new structures will be designed in accordance
with relevant marine safety standards and regulations. Sensitive
architectural design will be considered where practicable. This should take into account material texture, colour,
finishes to structures to ensure the fish rafts / cages blend into the
existing context, cause least disturbance to the existing seascape, and are
the most visually appealing. |
§ No unacceptable residual impacts are anticipated. |
Operation Phase § The presence and operation of the FCZ, including night
time lighting for the sake of safety purpose |
§
No unacceptable impact |
No |
Operation Phase § After
operation, the open water occupied by the Project site will
be reinstated to their former state § Light
intensity and beam directional angle should be controlled at the Project site at
the design stage to reduce light pollution and glare (e.g.
hooded lights, specific directional focus, etc.). |
||||
Cultural Heritage |
|||||||
Sensitive Receivers: § 4 sonar contacts (D-SC005, D-SC009,
D-SC013, and D-SC055) that may be of marine archaeological potential
identified in the Assessment Area |
§ The study methodology follows the
criteria and guidelines as stated in Annexes
10 and 19 of the EIAO-TM and
the Requirements for MAI as stated in Appendix
G of the Study Brief. |
Construction Phase § Potential impact on 4 sonar contacts
(D-SC005, D-SC009, D-SC013, and D-SC055) that may have marine archaeological
potential is possible during tug boat anchoring and
anchoring of fish rafts / cages as the seabed will be disturbed by the
anchoring but confined to a thin vertical surface layer (<0.5 m), and
<2 m horizontally. |
§
Potential impact anticipated |
No |
§ A buffer area of 20 m radius from each of the 4 sonar contacts
(D-SC005, D-SC009, D-SC013, and D-SC055) to avoid tug boat
anchoring and anchoring of the fish rafts / cages in the area. |
Construction Phase § A buffer area of 20 m radius from each of the 4 sonar contacts (D-SC005, D-SC009,
D-SC013, and D-SC055) to avoid tug boat anchoring and anchoring of the fish rafts / cages
in the area. § The locations and relocations of fish rafts / cages are
regulated by the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353), and AFCD will
ensure the locations of anchoring of vessels and fish rafts / cages will not
be located within the buffer areas. |
§ No impacts to terrestrial and marine
cultural heritage resources are expected, no adverse residual impacts are
expected. |
Operation Phase §
Potential impact on 4 sonar contacts (D-SC005, D-SC009, D-SC013, and
D-SC055) that may have marine archaeological potential is possible. |
§
Potential impact anticipated |
No |
Operation Phase § A buffer area of 20 m radius from each of the 4 sonar contacts (D-SC005,
D-SC009, D-SC013, and D-SC055) to avoid tug boat
anchoring and anchoring of the fish rafts / cages in the area. § AFCD will maintain the record of the buffer area and the
locations of the fish rafts / cages.
The locations and relocations of fish rafts / cages are regulated by
the Marine Fish Culture Ordinance (Cap. 353), and AFCD will ensure the
locations of anchoring of vessels and fish rafts / cages will not be located
within the buffer areas. § AFCD will conduct regular site inspections to check if any
seabed disturbance work is conducted in the buffer areas. |
This EIA Study
has critically assessed the overall acceptability of the environmental impacts
likely to arise as a result of the construction and
operation of the Project. It has
demonstrated the acceptability of any residual impacts from this Project and
the protection of the population and the environmentally sensitive
resources. This EIA Study concluded
that, with the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, the
Project would be environmentally acceptable and in compliance with the relevant
assessment standards / criteria of the EIAO-TM.
Where appropriate, EM&A mechanisms have been recommended to verify
the accuracy of the EIA predictions to ensure the effectiveness of the
recommended mitigation measures.
The
implementation of this Project is in line with the HKSAR Government’s objective
of creating room for the mariculture sector to grow further with the
establishment of the new FCZs, to allow capture fishermen to switch to a
sustainable mode of operation and making it possible for the development of
newer type of deep-water mariculture in the open sea and attracting new
entrants into the fisheries industry.