A red tide was sighted over the past week, the Inter-departmental Red Tide Working Group reported today (July 12).
On July 10, staff of the Environmental Protection Department spotted a red tide in Tseung Kwan O. The red tide still persists and no associated fish deaths have been reported as of today.
A spokesman for the working group said, "The red tide was formed by Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, which is commonly found in Hong Kong waters and non-toxic."
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) urged mariculturists at Po Toi O and Tung Lung Chau fish culture zones to monitor the situation closely and increase aeration where necessary.
Red tide is a natural phenomenon. The AFCD's proactive phytoplankton monitoring programme will continue to monitor red tide occurrences to minimise the impact on the mariculture industry and the public.
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