China continues to implement fishing moratoriums on high seas

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- China will implement voluntary fishing moratoriums for a fourth consecutive year in certain parts of the high seas this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday.

From July 1 to Sept. 30, fishing moratoriums will be implemented in parts of the international waters of the southwest Atlantic Ocean and north Indian Ocean, and moratoriums will cover parts of the high seas in the east Pacific Ocean from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.

During these moratoriums, all distant-water Chinese fishing vessels, including squid boats and trawlers, will cease fishing activities in certain waters, the ministry said.

China has implemented voluntary fishing bans on certain key high-sea fishing regions since 2020, involving approximately 70 distant-water Chinese fishing enterprises and about 700 squid boat and trawler voyages each year, and no illegal fishing activities have been reported during previous moratoriums, the ministry noted.

The size of caught squid and the average squid catch per vessel have increased in the parts of the southwest Atlantic and east Pacific where these moratoriums have been implemented, the ministry said, citing monitoring results from research institutions.