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China, with one-fifth of the world's population, accounts for one-third of the world's fish 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.
Wild fisheries
Coastal fisheries
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 (x1000 km²) | |||
| Region | Area | Continental shelf | Fishing ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohai Sea | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Yellow Sea | 127 | 127 | 103 |
| East China Sea | 252 | 151 | 160 |
| South China Sea | 630 | 129 | 531 |
| Total | 1033 | 431 | 818 |
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
Chinese distant water fishing activities started in 1985. China gains access to new fishing grounds through agreements with foreign countries. By 1996, these fisheries had extended to more than 60 nations or regions around the world. In that year, they employed 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
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.
| 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 | |
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.
Aquaculture
The history of aquaculture in China goes back 2000 years. 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.
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.
| Production of cultured species, 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Species | Percent |
| Silver carp and bighead carp | 38.4% |
| Grass carp | 22% |
| Common carp | 14.6% |
| Chinese and blunt-snout bream | 3.5% |
| Black carp, freshwater shrimp and crab | 12.2% |
| Rainbow trout, river and muddy eels, soft-shelled turtle, mandarin fish, Macrobrachium nipponesnsis etc. | 3.1% |
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.
History
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.
The Romans farmed carp and this pond culture continued through the monestries of Europe and to this day. In China and soon after in Japan carp farming took place as early as the Yayoi Period (ca. 300 B.C - 300 A.D.). 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.
See also
Notes
- ^ FAO 2005 statistics
- CIA factbook: [China
- Sea Around Us Project: China's EEZ
- ^ NOAA Central Library (1996) Fishing Industry in China
- ^ NOAA Central Library (1996) Aquaculture Industry
- Cormorant Fishing "UKAI". May 2001 version. Retrieved 2008-JAN-30.
References
- FAO: Fisheries and Aquaculture 2005 statistics.
- FAO: Fishery and Aquaculture Profile for China
- FAO: The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2004: Part 3: Scope of the seaweed industry
- China disputes claim it over reports fish catch Associate Press, 17 December 2002.
- Hart PJB and Reynolds JD (2002) Handbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9780632064823
- NOAA Central Library (1996) Importance of the Fishery Industry in China
- NOAA Central Library (1996) Fishery Enterprises in China
- NOAA Central Library (1996) Fish processing
- Fishing in China New York Times, 25 March 1877.
- Cairns,D (1948) Fishing Industry in China Tuatara, Vol. 1, issue 2.
- Muscolino, M (2008) [http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/13.2/muscolino.html The yellow croaker war: Fishery disputes between China and Japan, 1925–1935 Environmental History 13(2).
- Chinese Cooperation with International Agreements on Oceanic Issues The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, October 1997.
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