There has been a big increase in the distant-water catch landed in China’s top fishing port in the first 11 months of 2022.
Home to some of China’s largest squid and tuna processors, Zhoushan, located south of Shanghai in Zhejiang province, reported a 22-percent increase in landed volumes through the first 11 months of 2022, reaching 608,000 metric tons.
Zhoushan city authorities reported the value of its 2022 landed catches at CNY 6.4 billion (USD 919 million, EUR 866 million), up 25 percent year-on-year. For the full year, Zhoushan's distant-water fishery is expected to bring in 650,000 MT of seafood, an all-time high.
Zhoushan is one of three Chinese cities – the others are Rongcheng in Shandong province and Fuzhou in Fujian province – to have been granted status as national distant-water bases by the national government. The designation gives the ports easier access to government funding and other preferential supports.
The state-owned fishing firm CNFC Overseas Fishing is a major presence in Zhoushan port. The loss-making firm announced in late 2021 it would seek to raise CNY 400 million (USD 64 million, EUR 56 million) through a placement of shares to 35 investors, to fund construction of five new tuna vessels and new processing facilities in Zhoushan.
Photo courtesy of oceanfishing/Shutterstock
