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
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks on each other's critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, communications networks, and military logistics in the past 24 hours, both sides reported on Monday.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday that Russian military groups continued to strike Ukrainian forces on multiple fronts, which targeted Ukrainian oil refineries, energy and transportation infrastructure, as well as manufacturing and storage sites for long-range drones.
The ministry said air defenses destroyed 301 Ukrainian drones overnight over its territories.
In the Donetsk region, specifically in Lyman and Kostiantynivka, Russian forces continued to advance and took control of several buildings.
In a social media post on Monday, Russia's Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said that the Ukrainian forces had launched missiles at the region that day, killing five people.
Gusev said that Russian air defense systems detected and destroyed several high-speed aerial targets over Voronezh Oblast on Monday, and that production facilities at a local enterprise had been damaged. In addition, the facades and windows of 10 residential buildings were damaged, and a number of vehicles were destroyed.
On Monday, Russian Satellite Communications Company reported that a Ukrainian military drone had attacked the Dubna space communications center in Moscow Oblast. Television, radio, and communications operations were not affected, and there were no casualties.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 84 drones were shot down near the capital, with no casualties or damage reported.
Ukraine said Monday it had struck Russian military, communications and logistics facilities while accusing Moscow of attacking foreign-flagged merchant ships in the Black Sea and killing a crew member.
The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces hit the Dubna space communications center in the Moscow region, the Kavkaz port in the Krasnodar region, two car ferries used to supply Russian troops, a Voronezh plant producing electronics for the Iskander and Kh-101 missiles, a drone operator training ground, and a bridge.
Ukrainian officials said Russian drones struck three foreign-flagged civilian ships overnight, killing an Egyptian crew member aboard a Panama-flagged bulk carrier.
Russia, Ukraine trade strikes targeting key infrastructure facilities
