Hong Kong fishermen are paying the price for a cold spell which has sent sea temperatures plummeting, killing tons of fish, DPA quoted marine experts as saying Friday. It is estimated that around 13.5 tons of fish have been reported dead at one of Hong Kong's main aquaculture zones off the island of Lantau. Marine farmers say the cold spell - the longest since 1968 - has caused the water temperature to fall below that needed for certain species to survive. The air temperature has hovered around 10 degrees Celsius for more than three weeks now. As a result the water temperature has fallen to as low as 13 degrees, lower than the 15 degrees needed for species such as red snapper, cobia and the grouper. On Thursday, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department announced that emergency financial assistance was being made available for marine farmers suffering losses caused by the recent cold weather.
