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{{Infobox Fishery
⚫ ], China]]
|name = Fishing industry in China
|image = East Asia topographic map.png
⚫ |caption = China's continental shelf covers 431,000 km²
|land_area =
|area_eez = 877,019
|wild_marine_catch = 17.1 million tons
|wild_inland_catch =
|marine_aquaculture = 32.4 million tons
|inland_aquaculture =
|total_fish_catch =
|wild_aquatic_plants =
|aquaculture_plants =
}}
], with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's ] production and two-thirds of the worlds ] production.<ref name="FAO Fact sheet">] Fact sheet: </ref><ref> – FishUpdate.com</ref> According to the ], the total fish production in 2005 was 49.5 million tons. Of this total, 65.5% was from aquaculture, an increasing sector, and 34.5% from ] caught in rivers, lakes, and the sea. ], with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's ] production and two-thirds of the worlds ] production.<ref name="FAO Fact sheet">] Fact sheet: </ref><ref> – FishUpdate.com</ref> According to the ], the total fish production in 2005 was 49.5 million tons. Of this total, 65.5% was from aquaculture, an increasing sector, and 34.5% from ] caught in rivers, lakes, and the sea.


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====Coastal fisheries==== ====Coastal fisheries====
] ]
⚫ ]
China has a coastline of 14,500 kilometres,<ref>] factbook: </ref> and an ] (EEZ) of 877,019 square kilometres.<ref>Sea Around Us Project: </ref> The fishing grounds range from ] to ] zones and include 431,000 square kilometres of continental shelves (within 200 meters deep).<ref name="NOAA Industry">] Central Library (1996) </ref> China has a coastline of 14,500 kilometres,<ref>] factbook: </ref> and an ] (EEZ) of 877,019 square kilometres.<ref>Sea Around Us Project: </ref> The fishing grounds range from ] to ] zones and include 431,000 square kilometres of continental shelves (within 200 meters deep).<ref name="NOAA Industry">] Central Library (1996) </ref>
{| class="wikitable" border="1" {| class="wikitable" border="1"
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====Inland fisheries==== ====Inland fisheries====
⚫ ], China]]
⚫ ]]]
Inland China contains 176,000 square km of inland waters (1.8% of the inland area). Eighty thousand reservoirs contribute another 20,000 sq km. Inland China contains 176,000 square km of inland waters (1.8% of the inland area). Eighty thousand reservoirs contribute another 20,000 sq km.

⚫ China reputably has 709 freshwater fish species and 58 subspecies, with another 64 species migrating between sea and inland waters.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>

⚫ ] are a commercially important species, particularly ], ],], ], ] and ]. Other commercially important species are ], reeves ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Commercial shellfish include ] and river crabs, ]s include freshwater ]s, ] and freshwater snails. Aquatic plants are also harvested, ], ] and gorgon euryale. Other commercial species include the soft-shell turtle and the frog.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>

⚫ China inland fish production before 1963 came mainly from wild inland fisheries. Since then, wild inland fishery resources have decreased because of overfishing, dam building, land reclamation for agriculture, and industrial pollution. During the 1970s, the annual output of wild inland fisheries had dropped to 300,000 tons per year. In 1978, the government set up organizational structures to deal with these issues, and to stock fish ]s in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. This reversed many of the problems, and by 1996 production reached 1.76 million tons. However, inland aquaculture has made even bigger gains, and now outstrips production from the wild inland fisheries.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|- |-
! colspan=4 align="center" width="560px"| '''Major lakes in China'''<ref name="NOAA Industry"/> ! colspan=4 align="center" width="400px"| '''Major lakes in China'''<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>


|- |-
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{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|- |-
! colspan=4 align="center" width="560px"| '''Major rivers in China'''<ref name="NOAA Industry"/> ! colspan=4 align="center" width="400px"| '''Major rivers in China'''<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>


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| |
|} |}

⚫ ]]]
⚫ China reputably has 709 freshwater fish species and 58 subspecies, with another 64 species migrating between sea and inland waters.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>

⚫ ] are a commercially important species, particularly ], ],], ], ] and ]. Other commercially important species are ], reeves ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Commercial shellfish include ] and river crabs, ]s include freshwater ]s, ] and freshwater snails. Aquatic plants are also harvested, ], ] and gorgon euryale. Other commercial species include the soft-shell turtle and the frog.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>

⚫ China inland fish production before 1963 came mainly from wild inland fisheries. Since then, wild inland fishery resources have decreased because of overfishing, dam building, land reclamation for agriculture, and industrial pollution. During the 1970s, the annual output of wild inland fisheries had dropped to 300,000 tons per year. In 1978, the government set up organizational structures to deal with these issues, and to stock fish ]s in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. This reversed many of the problems, and by 1996 production reached 1.76 million tons. However, inland aquaculture has made even bigger gains, and now outstrips production from the wild inland fisheries.<ref name="NOAA Industry"/>


==Aquaculture== ==Aquaculture==

Revision as of 22:26, 25 December 2008

Fishing industry in China
China's continental shelf covers 431,000 km²

China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's fish production and two-thirds of the worlds aquaculture production. According to the FAO, the total fish production in 2005 was 49.5 million tons. Of this total, 65.5% was from aquaculture, an increasing sector, and 34.5% from wild fish caught in rivers, lakes, and the sea.

Aquaculture, the farming of fish in ponds and lakes, accounts for more than half of China's output. China's 2005 reported harvest was 32.4 million tons, more than 10 times that of the second-ranked nation, India, which produced 2.8 million tons. The principal aquaculture-producing regions are close to urban markets in middle and lower Yangtze valley and the Zhu Jiang delta.

China's 2005 reported catch of wild fish was 17.1 million tons, far ahead of the second-ranked nation, the United States, with 4.9 million tons.

Statistics

Since 2002, China has been the world largest exporter of fish and fishery products. In 2005, exports, including aquatic plants, were valued at US$7.7 billion, with Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea as the main markets. In 2005, China was the world’s sixth largest importer of fish and fishery products, with imports worth US$4.0 billion.

In 2003, the global per capita consumption of fish was estimated at 16.5 kg, with Chinese consumption at 25.8 kg.

Wild fisheries

Coastal fisheries

China has a coastline of 14,500 km

China has a coastline of 14,500 kilometres, and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 877,019 square kilometres. The fishing grounds range from sub-tropical to temperate zones and include 431,000 square kilometres of continental shelves (within 200 meters deep).

Areas of marine fishing grounds in km²
Region Area Continental shelf EEZ
Bohai Sea 24,000 24,000 24,000
Yellow Sea 127,000 127,000 103,000
East China Sea 252,000 151,000 160,000
South China Sea 630,000 129,000 531,000
Total 1,033,000 431,000 818,000

There are ongoing disputes with several neighbouring nations over the exact extent of the EEZ in the South China Sea.

The China seas contain about 3,000 marine species, of which more than 150 species are fished commercially. Some major marine fishing species in recent times are hairtail, chub mackerel, black scraper (oval filefish or Navodon modestus), anchovy and some species from shrimps, crabs and smaller fishes.

Distant fisheries

The world's EEZs are shown as a white extension of the land. International waters (high seas) are highlighted in blue.

Chinese distant water fishing activities started in 1985 when China gained access to new fishing grounds through agreements with foreign countries. By 1996, these fisheries had extended to 60 regions around the world, employing 21,200 fishermen, 1381 fishing vessels, and caught 926,500 tons.

The China National Fishery Corporation (CNFC) is the major operator in the distant water fisheries. In 1985 it sent the first Chinese fishing fleet to West African waters. In 1986, working with other Chinese partners, CNFC started trawling operations in the North Pacific. In 1988 tuna longlining was initiated in the South Pacific, and in 1989, squid longlining in the Japan Sea and the North Pacific.

Inland fisheries

Fishermen on the Fushui River, China
People fishing on a system of ponds constructed on a bay of the Daye Lake

Inland China contains 176,000 square km of inland waters (1.8% of the inland area). Eighty thousand reservoirs contribute another 20,000 sq km.

China reputably has 709 freshwater fish species and 58 subspecies, with another 64 species migrating between sea and inland waters.

Carp are a commercially important species, particularly silver carp, bighead carp,black carp, grass carp, common carp and crucian carp. Other commercially important species are bream, reeves shad, eel, cat fish, rainbow trout, salmon, whitebait, mullet, mandarin fish, perch, sturgeon, murrel and pangolin. Commercial shellfish include freshwater shrimp and river crabs, molluscs include freshwater mussels, clams and freshwater snails. Aquatic plants are also harvested, lotus, water chestnut and gorgon euryale. Other commercial species include the soft-shell turtle and the frog.

China inland fish production before 1963 came mainly from wild inland fisheries. Since then, wild inland fishery resources have decreased because of overfishing, dam building, land reclamation for agriculture, and industrial pollution. During the 1970s, the annual output of wild inland fisheries had dropped to 300,000 tons per year. In 1978, the government set up organizational structures to deal with these issues, and to stock fish fingerlings in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. This reversed many of the problems, and by 1996 production reached 1.76 million tons. However, inland aquaculture has made even bigger gains, and now outstrips production from the wild inland fisheries.

Major lakes in China
Lake Location Area (km2) Fisheries
Qinghaihu Lake Qinghai 4,583
Qinghaihu Lake Qinghai 4,583
Boyanghu Lake Jiangxi 3,583
Luobubo Lake Xinjiang 3,006
Dongtinghu Lake Hunan 2,820
Taihu Lake Jiangsu 2,420
Hulunhu Lake Neimenggu 2,315
Hongzehu Lake Jiangsu 1,586
Major rivers in China
River Length (km) Area (km2) Fisheries
Yangtze River 5,800 18,085
Yellow River 5,464 7,524
Heilongjiang River 2,965 8,900
Talimu River 2,179 1,980
Zhujiang River 2,129 4,257
Songhuajiang River 1,840 5,456
Yaluzangbujiang River 1,787 2,416
Lancangjiang River 1,612 1,540
Nujiang River 1,540 1,200
Hanjiang River 1,532 1,744
Liaohe River 1,430 1,920
Nenjiang River 1,370 2,439
Yalongjiang River 1,187 1,443
Yujiang River 1,162
Jialinjiang River 1,119 1,598
Haihe River 1,090 2,650
Wujiang River 1,018 882
Huaihe River 1,000 18,700

Aquaculture

Aquaculture has been used in China since circa 2500 BC. When the waters lowered after river floods, some fishes, mainly carp, were held in artificial ponds. Their brood were later fed using nymphs and silkworm feces, while the fish themselves were eaten as a source of protein. By a fortunate genetic mutation, this early domestication of carp led to the development of goldfish in the Tang Dynasty.

Cyprinus carpio is the number one fish of aquaculture. The annual tonnage of common carp, not to mention the other cyprinids, produced in China exceeds the weight of all other fish, such as trout and salmon, produced by aquaculture world wide.

Since the 1970s, the reform policies have resulted in the rapid development of China’s aquaculture, both in fresh and in sea waters. Total aquaculture areas rose from 2.86 million hectors in 1979 to 5.68 million hectors in 1996, and the production rose from 1.23 million tons to 15.31 million tons.

In 2005, worldwide aquaculture production including aquatic plants was worth US$78.4 billion. Of this, the Chinese production was worth US$ 39.8 billion. In the same year there were about 12 million fish farmers worldwide. Of these, China reported 4.5 million employed full time in aquaculture.

Grass carp
Bighead carp
Top 10 species grown in China in 2005
Species Tonnes
Japanese kelp 4 314 000
Grass carp 3 857 000
Pacific cupped oyster 3 826 000
Silver carp 3 525 000
Japanese carpet shell 2 857 000
Common carp 2 475 000
Wakame 2 395 000
Bighead carp 2 182 000
Crucian carp 2 083 000
Yesso scallop 1 036 000

Inland aquaculture

In 1979, inland aquaculture occupied 237.8 million hectares and produced 813,000 tons. In 1996, they occupied 485.8 million hectares and produced 10.938 million tons. In that year, 17 provinces produced over 100,000 tons from inland aquaculture.

The most common method of inland aquaculture in China is pond culture, with a 73.9% share in 1996. These pond culture activities are mostly distributed along the Yangtze River basin and the Pearl River basin covering seven provinces: Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi and Shandong. The government has been supporting additional developments in rural areas to get rid of poverty. The sector is also important from a nutritional perspective, because it brings seafood to areas far from the sea where traditional consumption of seafood has been low.

In recent times, Chinese fish farmers have extended their skills in intensive culture in pond system to open waters such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs and channels, by incorporating cages, nets and pens.

Fish farming in paddy fields is also starting to developed into an important commercial activity. There is huge potential for growth here, since there are more than 28 million hectares of paddy fields available. In 1996, paddy fish farming occupied 12.05 million hectares producing 376,800 tons.

As the economy develops, demand for high-valued species is increasing. Foreign species introduced from abroad are gaining ground such as tilapia, rainbow trout, silver salmon, paddle fish, roach, river perch, toad catfish and Collossoma brachypomum.

Marine aquaculture

Marine aquaculture has also grown over the last decade. Based on current culture technologies, most farmed cultivation of marine plants and animals can be applied within the 10 metre isobath. The marine cultivable areas in China, including shallow seas, mud-flats and bays, are about 1.33 million hectares. Before 1980, less than nine percent of these areas were utilised for this purpose, and the species were mainly confined to kelp, laver (Porphyra) and mussels. The 1979 production was 415,900 tons on 117,000 hectares, and the 1996 production was 4.38 million tons on 822,000 hectares.

The species cultivated are also changing. Since the 1980s, the government has encouraged different marine varieties, including shrimp, Penaeus chinensis, mussel, scallop, abalone, sea bream, tilapia, grouper and Scylla serrata.

Between 1989 and 1996, production of farmed fishes increased from 36,000 tons to 182,000 tons; production of farmed crustaceans decreased from 190,000 tons to 129,000 tons; the production of molluscs increased from 1.06 million tons to 3.15 million tons; production of algae increased from 294,000 tons to 914,000 tons. Except for crustaceans, categories rose markedly in production.

China was the largest producer of farmed shrimp in the world, but major setbacks occurred since 1993 because of viral disease. In 1989, production was 186,000 tons, but by 1996 this had declined to 89,000 tons. Reports attributed this to poor management, including overfeeding, over high stock densities and inadequate maintenance.

Between 1989 and 1996, areas of cultivated shallow sea increased from 25,200 to 114,200 hectares; areas of mudflat from 266,800 to 533,100 hectares; and areas of bay from 131,300 to 174,800 hectares.

Miscellanea

A Chinese fisherman with his cormorant on Erhai Lake near Dali, Yunnan

Historically, cormorant fishing has been a significant fishing technique in China. To control the birds, the fishermen tie a snare near the base of the bird's throat. This prevents the birds from swallowing larger fish, which are held in their throat. When a cormorant has caught a fish, the fisherman brings the bird back to the boat and has the bird spit the fish out. Chinese fishermen often employ great cormorants. Though cormorant fishing used to be a successful fishing industry, its primary use today is to serve the tourism industry.In Guilin, Guangxi Province, cormorant birds are famous for fishing on the shallow Lijiang River.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ FAO Fact sheet: Aquaculture in China and Asia
  2. FAO report: China responsible for two-thirds of world aquaculture production – FishUpdate.com
  3. CIA factbook: [China
  4. Sea Around Us Project: China's EEZ
  5. ^ NOAA Central Library (1996) Fishing Industry in China
  6. ^ NOAA Central Library (1996) Aquaculture Industry
  7. Cormorant Fishing "UKAI". May 2001 version. Retrieved 2008-JAN-30.

References


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