The Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong has been successful in its application for a grant from the Sustainable Fisheries Development Fund of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). The Fund aims to help the local fishing community move towards sustainable or high value-added operations so that the trade can enhance its overall competitiveness and cope with new challenges.

The grant will be used to fund a project, led by Prof. Sophie St-Hilaire, to assist aquaculture farmers with their veterinary needs. It will enable farmers to obtain subsidised veterinary services from CityU, and provide funds for research into knowledge gaps in local aquatic animal health issues, as well as for farmer workshops to increase knowledge about relevant aquatic animal health topics. These topics will be farmer driven.

The project is in the process of hiring a local fish veterinarian and technician, with services expected to start by the end of October. This will also serve to increase the aquatic animal veterinary capacity in Hong Kong by training professionals on regional aquatic species.