The Development Bureau announced today that an excavation of dinosaur fossils on Port Island has been completed.

The Antiquities & Monuments Office (AMO) began the excavation on Port Island in late October, with the guidance and assistance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology (IVPP) and support from the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD).

About 30 rocks containing dinosaur bone fossils have been excavated, but the actual quantity of dinosaur fossils found can only be confirmed after the fossil preparation is completed.

After thorough inspections by the IVPP experts and local palaeontologists, all exposed fossils at the discovery site have been removed.

In collaboration with the IVPP, experts and research institutes in Hong Kong, the Mainland and other places, the AMO and the AFCD will proceed with the preparation of dinosaur fossils and the carrying out of relevant studies to identify the species of dinosaur found on the island and explore the palaeoecology of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, a temporary workshop in the courtyard of the Heritage Discovery Centre will open on December 20. Dinosaur fossils from the site, and other fossils discovered in Hong Kong – including the aquatic animals ostracod and ammonite, as well as ferns – will be displayed there.

There will also be arrangements for the public to observe the preparation of fossil specimens. Details will be announced on the AMO website in due course.

The AMO and the AFCD will continue to organise lectures and workshops to enhance public understanding of and interest in palaeontology. The AFCD will also hold outreach science activities for primary and secondary schools.

Details of these activities are available on the websites of the AMO and Geopark.

In view of the completion of the excavation on Port Island, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation will lift the closure of the entire area of Port Island within Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park from tomorrow.

As all exposed dinosaur fossils have been removed from Port Island and it is remote and lacks ancillary facilities for landing and sightseeing, the public is advised not to land there.