Thousands of fishing boats return to sea as China's fishing season begins

Fishing ports along China’s eastern and southern coasts buzzed on Sunday as tens of thousands of vessels returned to sea after the South China Sea’s 3.5-month summer moratorium ended. Specially licensed boats resumed operations in parts of the East China Sea as well. In Yangjiang, Guangdong, more than 3,400 fishing vessels departed for South China Sea grounds after the ban was officially lifted. Local authorities cleared navigation channels, inspected markers and added temporary traffic controls to prioritize departures. During the first week, authorities expect over 2,000 Yangjiang boats to return with an estimated 30,000 tonnes of seafood. In Guangxi’s Fangchenggang, over 1,100 boats set sail to the Beibu Gulf, while Hainan saw more than 29,000 vessels depart.