Safeguarding fish
heal th for local fisheries
Interest in fish and fish health has been growing over the last couple of years in Hong Kong because of concerns about food safety. CityU is playing a major role in this drive to safeguard health for aquaculture.
In fact, there have been calls to support the existing marine fish culture and environment. The government explicitly noted in its policy address in 2017 that greater support was crucial for developing the local fisheries industries. CityU shares the same aims as the government in this endeavour. One notable project along these lines is a twoyear research led by Professor Sophie St-Hilaire, Acting Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences.
Protecting fish health The project “Improving Fish Health and Production in Hong Kong”, which works towards the long-term development of local aquaculture, has secured solid funding from the government. It received a HK$5 million fund from the Sustainable Fisheries Development Fund under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). The primary focus is providing fish farmers and veterinarians with vital health-related information about their fish stocks through workshops and consultations held by Professor StHilaire’s team. “Experts are invited to talk about specific topics such as water quality and pond management,” Professor St-Hilaire says. “We also run other health-related research projects funded through this grant on fish disease issues and fish disease control strategies.”
賽馬會動物醫學及生命科學院 I 2020 春季
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