The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (April 21) announced that the application for concerned local fishing vessel registration, Provisional Approval of Registration (PAR) and Certificate of Eligibility for Registration (CER) under the Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 (the Ordinance) will be closing on May 5.
The Ordinance empowers the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation (DAFC) to exercise discretion, in order to consider registration applications of local fishing vessels that did not possess a valid operating licence on June 15, 2012, but were used or intended to be used for fishing up to June 14 that year.
An AFCD spokesman said, "Some vessel owners who thought that their fishing vessels did not fulfil the above registration requirement might have already sold or disposed of their fishing vessels. Under such circumstances, the DAFC is provided with the discretion in considering issuing a PAR which certifies a right to register a fishing vessel within two years from the issue of the PAR, to eligible vessel owners."
Furthermore, the spokesman noted that those trawler owners whose CER applications were rejected because of failing the above requirement can also re-apply for a CER if their trawler was used for fishing up to June 14, 2012.
The deadline for applications for concerned local fishing vessel registration, PAR and CER is May 5 this year. Application forms are available on the AFCD website (www.afcd.gov.hk) and at AFCD headquarters, 8/F Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon.
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