Drought continues to affect fish farms in central and southern Chinese provinces, according to China's Ministry of Agriculture.
More than 10,000 acres of fish farms, mostly shellfish and tilapia farms, have been affected by one of China's worse droughts in decades, causing nearly USD 500,000 (EUR 334,000) in damages to the country's aquaculture industry.
Authorities from China's southern Guangzhou Province recently demanded more water from reservoirs hoping to end a two-month standstill in water traffic. In the central Hunan Province, low water levels forced fishermen to stop fishing early this season.
Guangdong continues to be the major market for seafood consumption, ranked second in the nation, and continues to be an important distribution center for China's seafood trade, especially for imported seafood.
In 2007, Guangdong's fishery sector output reached USD 106 million (70.8 million), up 10 percent from 2006. The region's growing demand for seafood also plays a role in its growth as Guangzhou's Huasha Seafood Wholesale Market is one of the largest in southern China and is also one of the country's top three seafood wholesale markets.
Back to all Aquaculture stories >
