China's fishery industry has made remarkable strides over the past 30 years, producing a staggering 71.16 million tonnes of aquatic products in 2023 alone. This achievement positions China as the world's largest producer of aquatic products, highlighting its crucial role in providing high-quality animal protein to billions.
However, this rapid growth comes with significant challenges. Inland lakes, ponds, and coastal areas in China are reaching saturation, and marine fishing resources are nearly depleted. To address these issues, expanding fishery production spaces and developing the marine ranching industry are becoming essential for national food security and enhancing human well-being.
In 2017, Norway set a global benchmark by completing the world's first large-scale deep-sea aquaculture platform, Ocean Farm 1, which operates at depths of 300 meters. This innovative project captivated the international community and inspired China's approach to sustainable aquaculture.
Building on this inspiration, China has been proactive in fostering green and intelligent deep-sea aquaculture. In 2019, ten ministries collaboratively issued the “Several Opinions on Accelerating the Green Development of the Aquaculture Industry”, marking the first major policy support for green deep-sea aquaculture and the construction of large-scale intelligent platforms.
Continuing this momentum, June 2023 saw eight ministries release the “Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Deep-sea Aquaculture”. This document emphasizes the need to expedite deep-sea aquaculture development across the entire industry chain, focusing on key fields and critical links to ensure robust growth.
Further cementing its commitment, the State Council published the white paper “Development of China's Distant-Water Fisheries” in October 2023. This comprehensive document outlines China's development concepts, principles, policies, and significant achievements in distant-water fisheries, showcasing its dedication to building a sustainable and prosperous ocean community of shared future.
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Promoting the building of an ocean community of shared future
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