Red Tides Ruin Hong Kong Fish Farms

HONG KONG (AP) - The worst red tides this decade have wiped out hundreds of thousands of fish worth at least 70 million Hong Kong dollars (U.S. $9 million), newspapers reported Sunday.

About 1,000 of Hong Kong's 1,500 fish farms have been devastated by the red tides, which first hit coastal waters in March, the South China Morning Post reported.

Red tides usually subside in a few days, but this wave ``has spread out like an infectious disease,'' said Hong Kong Fish Culture Association Chairman Wong Yung-kan.

The government has given about 100 fish farmers 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,282) in emergency subsidies since the tides hit Hong Kong.

Wong said fish eaters probably will have to pay more for seafood in coming months.

Red tides are caused by fast-breeding micro-organisms that can suffocate fish.

A conservationist said when water temperatures rise to a certain level, micro-organisms in the water would breed extremely fast, acquiring a high volume of oxygen and releasing toxic substances that suffocate fish in the farms, the Post reported.

Nitrogen and phosphorus released by sewage at sea and artificial feeds used in fish farms also speed up the growth.

The water quality of Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbor has deteriorated rapidly in the past decade. The government is building a massive sewage treatment system as the population continues to rise rapidly.