Remarkable achievements in implementation of the Programme of Action for China s Living Aquatic Resource Preservation

MOA Bureau of Fisheries

16 February 2011

On 14 February 2006, the State Council promulgated the Programme of Action for China s Living Aquatic Resource Preservation for an overall arrangement in this field. The government makes it clear in the action programme that it is necessary to strengthen preservation of living aquatic resources and intensify efforts in releasing fries/seedlings for multiplication. Over the past five years, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and local fisheries departments have conscientiously implemented relevant decisions and arrangements made by the government through effective measures to promote development in all aspect of preservation of living aquatic resources, which has led to considerable achievements.

I. Remarkable effectiveness of releasing fries/seedlings for multiplication

In the past five years, governments at all levels spent 2.097 billion yuan in releasing fries/seedlings for multiplication, about 5.4 times that of the previous five years. In total, 109 billion fries/seedlings of higher quality were released, 1.2 times that of the previous five years. In this period, MOA joined local governments in 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government to organize 26 releasing events. Take 2010 for example, there were more than 1,700 such events organized nationwide. In order to improve releasing campaigns in a scientific way, to standardize it and to encourage public participation, MOA has issued the Regulations on Management of Releasing Aquatic Fries/seedlings for Multiplication and the National General Plan for Releasing Aquatic Fries/seedlings for Multiplication for 2011-2015. In the past five years, thanks to joint efforts, the releasing campaigns have witnessed outstanding achievements as follows:

First, replenished and restored aquatic populations. Fishing seasons of the Chinese shrimp, jellyfish and swimming crab have come back to the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea; populations of large yellow croakers have reappeared in parts of the near-shore waters of the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian; and the fries of the four main carps increased from 110 million in 2005 to 430 million in 2010.

Second, improved ecosystems. Through arranging fries/breeds to be released in Taihu Lake according to given requirements, its water environment has been improved comprehensively; clarifying water bodies of Beijing Miyun reservoir, the Chaohu Lake in Anhui Province and the Liangzihu Lake in Hubei province by using aquatic organisms has exerted rather good effects.

Third, increased income of fishmen. In 2010, a total of 710 million yuan was invested in releasing campaigns nationwide with the direct ratio of input and output of about 1:5, which benefited 1.5 million fishmen. For example, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea saw a good harvest of the Chinese crabs due to releasing campaigns. The year of 2010 also witnessed 3546 tons of prawn production in Shandong, which was the highest since the releasing launched in 1984. In addition, prawn resources returned to the level of mid 1980s. Fishmen in Liaoning Province have praised the local government agencies in charge of fisheries for their contribution to their increased income through releasing campaigns.

II. Improvement in the systems of fishery resources preservation and management

First, implementing and continuously improving the systems of summer fishing moratorium in seas and closed fishing seasons along the Yangtze River valley. These two systems cover the four major seas and the whole Yangtze River valley under China s jurisdiction and 11 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) along the seas and 10 provinces (municipalities) along the Yangtze River valley, affecting 160,000 fishing vessels and around 1.2 million fishermen annually.

Second, preparing for application of the system of closed fishing seasons along the Pearl River valley to start on 1 Apr. 2011 with the approval of the State Council. This system will involve 6 provinces (autonomous regions), 20,000 fishing vessels and 100,000 fishermen. It is the third national system of its kind and the second one along a river valley.

Third, carrying out the fishing vessel control system. The control objectives for the number and power of marine fishing vessels for the period from 2003 to 2010 were basically attained.

III. Establishment of aquatic germplasm reserves

Since MOA established the first national aquatic germplasm reserve in 2007, it has released the lists of 220 reserves of its kind by 4 batches. These reserves have provided protection to over one hundred species of key aquatic organisms and their spawning areas and other key aquatic habitats of more than 100,000 km2 and constituted a system that covers near shore waters and major inland rivers and lakes. In addition, the document of Interim Measures for Administration of Aquatic Germplasm Reserves was unveiled at the end of 2010 in order to further regulate the development and administration of such reserves.

IV. Active Protection of endangered aquatic animals

There are altogether 16 national nature reserves for aquatic organisms and 190 local ones nationwide for protecting more than 40 species of endangered aquatic animals, and over 100,000 km2 of major habitats. MOA has successively set up a protective network for Yangtze River dolphins and a rescue network for endangered rare marine wildlife. With them, local authorities have rescued and released more than 10,000 aquatic animals that are under special protection of the state, including Chinese sturgeon, sea turtle, finless porpoise and harbor seal etc. Through key scientific research programs, we have succeeded in artificial fertilization of endangered aquatic organisms such as big-head schizothracin, rough-skin sculpin, brachymystax lenok and giant salamander. The number of farmed giant salamander has exceeded 2 million nationwide.

V. Strengthened protection and recovery of water eco-systems

According to the unified arrangements of the State Council, MOA coordinated and worked with local fisheries departments and aquaculture research institutes to actively participate in properly dealing with major pollution incidents occurred in the Songhua River in northeast China, the Long Island and Dalian in Shandong Province; disastrous ecological incidents in the Taihu Lake and Qingdao; and more than 6,000 fishery pollution accidents. All these have effectively protected the legitimate rights and interests of fisheries and fishermen, safeguarded safety of aquatic products. Besides, MOA also launched programs to monitor eco-systems. For example, starting from 2000 MOA and the Ministry of Environmental Protection have jointly issued the Bulletin on the State of Fishery Eco-systems in China every year. Through establishment of the ecological compensation system for fishery resources damaged by project construction works, MOA has checked a total of more than 400 fisheries-related projects and incorporated 3.7 billion yuan of compensation fund into investment in environmental protection. The move has played an important role in easing the damages to resources and eco-systems that are caused by projects such as water conservancy projects, hydropower projects and projects for reclaiming tidal flat land for farming, and in protecting and recovering water eco-systems and safeguarding the rights and interests of fishermen.