Trawling ban. I wish I could hear someone’s opinion – from who knows the matter better. Trawling ban is in force since the end of 2012. I still see the fishing boats around South Lamma, very close to the coast, with the booms spread and pulling the nets. Are there any exceptions: like areas or specific way of fishing?

I'm no expert so I might be wrong, but I think the trawling ban mainly refers to bottom fishing - dragging a weighted net along the seabed, which does heaps of damage as well as snagging anything living down there. But I think what you are seeing is surface netting for shrimp ... and plastic bottles. But I'd be interested to hear from an expert ...

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In this by WWF they do not mention exceptions, although that doesn't mean there aren't any I guess

http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/news/press_release/?8560/Trawl-Ban-TakesEffect

They can still net fish:
http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/whatwedo/conse ... wlban_faq/

All these methods listed seem like stationary nets or traps.
I could not find the original govt. document. May be it specifies trawling some other way. By definition trawling is just pulling the net behind the ship.
Could it be that the fishermen do not give up easily?