Many coastal regions in China have initiated a partial reopening of the fishing season following the entry into force of the annual summer fishing moratorium on May 1, with vessels setting sail for their first catch since the start of the moratorium.
The nationwide ban, implemented to protect marine ecology and fishery resources, covers the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and a portion of the South China Sea. It lasts from May 1 to Sept 16. The coastal region of east China's Jiangsu Province was among the areas included in this year's moratorium.
On Thursday morning, 441 fishing boats that met the requirements for the restricted reopening departed from the Lyusi Fishing Port in Qidong City of Jiangsu.
The authorized vessels primarily use gillnets, beam trawls, pots and traps, as well as light attraction nets, targeting catches such as swimming crabs, shrimp, and smaller quantities of small yellow croaker, silver pomfret and squid.
To ensure the safe and orderly departure of the fleet, the Jiangsu Maritime Authority deployed four patrol boats and seven drones to escort and monitor the vessels.
In Xiangshan County in Ningbo City of east China's Zhejiang Province, over 1,270 fishing boats that met the criteria were also allowed to set sail on Thursday for the East China Sea, marking the end of the 3-month hiatus for the Shipu Port.
The fishing boats will mostly operate in nearshore waters, and most of them can return to port in three to four days. Some smaller fishing boats can even go out to sea and come back on a same day, ensuring the supply of fresh seafood products to the market.
The primary catches are expected to include silver pomfret, yellow croaker, shrimp, crab, and mantis shrimp.
"All fishing boats starting operation on Thursday are out for crabs, large yellow croaker and hairtail. If we leave at noon, we can be back by around 18:00," said a fisherman.
The return of fishing activities has been eagerly anticipated by both the fishing community and local consumers, who can't wait to have a taste of fresh seafood after a break of three months.
"I really missed the swimming crabs, shrimp, and hairtail. I can finally have them again tonight!" said a resident in Ningbo City of Zhejiang.
Coastal regions in China resume restricted fishing season after three-month moratorium
A survey released by CGTN to global netizens shows that respondents strongly condemn the U.S.'s unilateral bullying of other countries under the pretext of "reciprocal tariffs," saying that this move may trigger countermeasures from other countries and eventually evolve into a "tariff world war," seriously impacting the world economy.
The U.S. claims that it has suffered losses in international trade and is raising tariffs on all trading partners under the pretext of "reciprocity," aiming to reduce the trade deficit. However, 81.03 percent of global respondents do not agree with this, believing that such measures will not achieve the expected results. During his first term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on major trading partners. According to statistics from the American Action Forum, a think tank, Trump's protectionist policies during the first term cost U.S. consumers about 57 billion U.S. dollars annually. According to the survey, 81.94 percent of respondents believe that "reciprocal tariffs" cannot solve U.S.'s own problems but will only harm the interests of U.S. consumers and drag down the U.S. economic growth.
The competitiveness of products from different countries varies. Each country can set appropriate tariffs based on its own products to achieve "mutual benefit" in the international market. The "tariff farce" of the U.S. side is a selective disregard for the balance of interests reached through multilateral trade negotiations. Some 82.8 percent of the respondents point out that in the context of unequal economic development and economic strength of different countries, the U.S. insistence on full and complete reciprocity in tariffs is extremely irrational.
The majority of the U.S. tariffs this time are targeted at developing countries. Regarding this, 82.96 percent of the respondents condemn the U.S. for conducting "indiscriminate attacks" on other countries on the issue of tariffs, believing that this is a deprivation of the development rights of other countries, especially developing countries. According to the survey, 84.43 percent of the respondents believe that the U.S.'s imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" will exacerbate the problem of trade unfairness with its trading partners and traditional allies, seriously damaging the country's credibility.
As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S. has unilaterally and subjectively introduced so-called "reciprocal tariffs" and insisted on implementing them. This is a typical act of unilateral bullying. In response, 79.47 percent of the respondents criticize the U.S. for seriously violating the rules of the WTO. In the survey, 79.58 percent of the respondents say that "reciprocal tariffs" have become a new tool for the U.S. to promote trade protectionism, which will further intensify international trade tensions and global economic fragmentation.
This survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms. Within 24 hours, a total of 9,600 overseas netizens participated in the survey and expressed their views.
CGTN poll: US 'reciprocal tariffs' draw condemnation from world
