The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Tuesday said it would beef up manpower at a tourist hotspot in Sai Kung during the Labour Day Golden Week, when 1,000 visitors are expected to flock there each day.

Sharp Island – about 15 minutes by boat from Sai Kung Pier and part of Hong Kong’s Unesco Global Geopark – is a popular destination for snorkellers given the highly diverse range of coral species to be found in the pristine waters off its shore.

Assistant director Jim Chu said 600 to 800 visitors normally come to the island during weekends and public holidays, but the figure is estimated to surge during the May 1 to May 5 holiday.

“On the island itself, 11 staff members will be responsible for patrols, giving out advice, as well as educating visitors," he said.

"On the water, there will be five guides – two for snorkellers and three for kayakers – to help us manage the coral area.”

Staff will be stationed on the island from 9am to 6pm each day until the final kaito ferry departs.

Drones will also be used to conduct hourly patrols to keep a lookout for actions that threaten marine ecology, Chu added.

Apart from trilingual broadcasts to remind revellers not to step on corals, senior marine conservation officer Janet Lee said the department would also be distributing water-proof maps to point out spots that are unsuitable for snorkellers to enter and exit the water.

“In research that we carried out on coral baselines with the World Wide Fund for Nature since the end of last year, we found out about the distribution of corals at snorkelling or diving areas, and we designed a coral-friendly route map based on the data," she said.

"[The map] labels areas with dense corals and shallow waters where we least want people to enter or exit the water as corals are most vulnerable."

In the long run, the department is looking to draft laws to protect the ecological environment.



Edited by Tony Sabine