Customs authorities in Quanzhou are reporting that the city’s distant-water catch rose 104.1 percent in the first seven months of the year, to 25,700 metric tons.
Quanzhou, in Fujian Province, is the home port for many of China’s fishing firms operating in international waters. Its fleet’s catch soared 259 percent in the first three months of 2018 to 7,785 metric tons (MT), according to the local branch of the state’s Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine, which advises local firms on export standards.
The city’s government is taking credit for the increase, claiming it is the result of subsidies for ships and newly efficient customs procedures that allow vessels to unload their catches more quickly.
Quanzhou’s distant-water fishing industry was launched in 2012, and the number of its vessels operating in international waters went from 33 in 2014 to 58 in 2018. The area reached by the vessels has expanded to include both the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the North Atlantic Ocean.
The growing catch from Quanzhou vessels is propelling a surge in the local processing industry, with exports going from 86,000 MT in 2015 to 150,000 MT in 2018, according to customs authorities in Quanzhou.
According to an AQSIQ statement, Quanzhou’s seafood exports to the European Union rose 86 percent to USD 5.1 million (EUR 4.4 million) in the first three months of this year.
“We have also sought to diversify our markets,” AQSIQ said, noting local exporters have expanded sales into Angola, the Seychelles, and the Cook Islands - all new markets for Quanzhou seafood.
The city’s big markets however are the Philippines, which bought USD 54.1 million (EUR 46.9 million) – up 86.1 percent year-on-year – and Indonesia, which bought USD 19.9 million (EUR 17.3 million) of Quanzhou seafood in the first quarter of the year, up 18.3 percent year-on-year.
Chinese seafood appears to be out-competing domestically-landed seafood in Southeast Asia. While the Philippines and Indonesia are themselves major fishing nations with nascent seafood processing sectors, both countries have struggled to match the low prices of Chinese imports.
Quanzhou appears to be a part of the trend of Chinese exporters focusing on cheaper products. Shipments of canned produce out of Quanzhou rose 166 percent to USD 6.7 million (EUR 5.8 million) in the first quarter of 2018.
