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To: TobagoJack who wrote (76)	11/6/2003 1:12:47 AM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 113

Fish farmer hopes to net $8 million Thursday, November 6, 2003 hongkong.scmp.com CHEUNG CHI-FAI A fish farmer making a living from ponds near the proposed free-trade zone between Shenzhen and Hong Kong says he would prefer a property developer to buy the land than see the migratory birds that feed on his fish return. Kwok Kam-shui, 65, who has fished the ponds for 25 years, describes the area as "dead land". "No one will want our land because no development is allowed here," he said, referring to restrictions on the area because of its proximity to the mainland. But if the industrial zone proposed by tycoon Li Ka-shing - during a meeting with President Hu Jintao in Beijing in September - goes ahead, Mr Kwok stands to land a sizeable catch. It is believed he could be offered up to $8 million compensation if the government claims the ponds for infrastructure, such as access roads to the border zone. This is despite the fact he only leases the land. The landowners would likely be offered much more - the Cheung and Lam clans, who live in Shenzhen, are the area's two major landlords. "I don't know whether it is a good idea to build an industrial zone. But it is definitely good for us," Mr Kwok said. Mr Kwok is one of about 20 pond operators working near the Lok Ma Chau border crossing. His ponds are about 50 metres from the abandoned meander of the Shenzhen river, which encircles the border zone. Even though Mr Kwok's rent has not been adjusted for years - he pays about $100,000 a year to lease about 90ha - he says the good times are long over. In the mid-1980s, fish farming had bright prospects, but he now struggles to make a living. "There are hundreds of hectares of fishponds around the border zone," he said. "Most of them have been deserted because of low fish prices in a market dominated by mainland competitors." Mr Kwok said declining revenue had been further hit by the annual return of a large number of migratory water birds that feed on the fish. That's why he has been giving more than a thought to the proposed free-trade zone and the benefits it could bring him. To raise the possible compensation level, Mr Kwok has planted some fruit trees on the banks of his ponds. "I am not wise enough to guess whether Li Ka-shing or other big developers will take over our ponds," he said. "But if they come, we will listen to them."