China is offering a reimbursement of up to 30 percent to fishermen buying an upgraded fishing vessel and to those upgrading their outmoded vessels to more modern design standards.
Outlined in the 2016 package of support for the fisheries sector, the subsidies are designed to phase out “old and wooden” trawlers with safer and more energy efficient boats.
According to a document from the Chinese Agriculture Ministry’s Fisheries Bureau, fiberglass and steel are the preferred materials for the new and upgraded boats. The guidance document adds the caveat that vessel-owners who take the subsidy cannot sell or transfer their vessels for 10 years, except in the case of the vessel owner’s death.
China has been seeking to reform its subsidization policies by shifting emphasis from fuel discounts to modernizing the national fleet and restoring stocks in national waters. The government has paid for eliminating older vessels and retraining fishermen in China’s east coast fishing ports, who have been negatively affected by an annual moratorium on fishing.
Various Chinese ministries charged with overseeing the seafood sector have made much in recent months of safety at sea, with an emphasis on reducing the number of fishermen lost to accidents – a number that has increased as Chinese fishing vessels go further from home in search of more bountiful catches.
