Applications for marine fish culture licences and the use of government-provided deep sea cages in the new fish culture zone at Mirs Bay (South) are open from today until September 6, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department announced.

The department explained that it hopes to encourage the intensification of production for fishermen in the new fish culture zones while adopting a sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of operation, together with the use of cages that are resilient to strong wind and water currents.

To reduce the start-up cost for fishermen, the department will set up two sets of steel truss deep sea cages and three sets of high density polyethylene deep sea cages equipped with modern aquaculture facilities in phases in the new fish culture zone at Mirs Bay (South) by the end of this year. The deep sea cages will be provided to local fishermen associations through licence agreements.

Applicants shall provide a detailed business plan, including an introduction to the proposed sustainable mariculture business, as well as a demonstration of their eligibility to use government cages and compliance with the relevant environmental protection and mitigation measures.

While the department added that people interested in operating in the new fish culture zone may consider applying for the Sustainable Fisheries Development Fund, it also stressed that the fund cannot be used to pay for the licence fees of government cages.

A briefing session will be held on July 17 to introduce the application process and licensing requirements of marine fish culture licences and the use of deep sea cages.