China’s distant-water fishing companies have been suffering from “high cost pressures and operating difficulties,” according to a new document published by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Due to these challenges, the ministry has recommended a wide-ranging support package to bolster the ailing sector.
Titled “Notice on Increasing Efforts to Help Distant-Water Fishing Enterprises,” the document was sent to the nation’s national and provincial governments, advising them to take various measures that could help aid the struggling operations of distant-water fishing companies.
One such measure that could come from the national government, according to the document, is simplifying the process of paying subsidies to fishing firms.
“[There is a need to] improve the efficiency of reviewing applications for distant-water fishery compliance reward and subsidy funds and implement distant-water fishery development support policies in a timely and effective manner,” the document said.
The national government, according to the document, also aims to expedite the approval process of allowing foreign workers to work for Chinese fishing firms, largely through the streamlining of immigration controls.
The document also encourages both national and provincial governments to replace decrepit vessels in the fleet with updated boats; support universities and research institutes to carry out monitoring of distant-water fishery resources; more effectively allocate quotas for tuna, saury, mackerel, and more species; and allow for internal quota transfers within the same enterprise.
Through the agriculture ministry, the Chinese government has also made promises to promote consumption of species caught by distant-water vessels through marketing campaigns both across China and at international seafood trade fairs.
The support package as a whole comes at a crossroads for China’s distant-water fleet.
Traditionally, the fleet has largely relied on …
