Hong Kong mega bridge finally hooks visitors as anglers give police bumper catch
- Mainlanders reprimanded by police after being caught fishing from piers of the underused bridge linking Hong Kong with its neighbours Zhuhai and Macau
- Group of 11 arranged their trip after being attracted by the location, not realising it was a restricted zone
However, its spectacular, peaceful setting and conveniently designed supporting structure proved irresistible to 11 anglers who were detained by maritime police on Sunday last week after being caught fishing from its piers.
According to a report posted by the Maritime Safety Administration, the 11 came from mainland cities including Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Guangzhou and Foshan, and had arranged the fishing trip after being attracted by the location, not realising that access to the piers was restricted.
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The police also detained an operator who had ferried the anglers to the piers and confiscated his profits, the report said. The anglers were reprimanded by the police and released after expressing “remorse” for breaking the law.
“Waters of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is a restricted area and no ferries are allowed to take anglers to the piers for illegal fishing,” the report said. “Violators will face severe punishment.”
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In 2019, it was crossed by an average of about 2,000 vehicles a day, according to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority. That compared with more than 44,000 average daily crossings on the Golden Gate Bridge in California.