Fishing ports along China's eastern and southern coasts came alive on Sunday as tens of thousands of fishing vessels set sail for a new fishing season following the end of the South China Sea's three-and-a-half-month summer fishing moratorium. Specially licensed boats have also resumed operations in parts of the East China Sea.
In Yangjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province, more than 3,400 fishing vessels departed after the official lifting of the fishing ban, heading toward fishing grounds in the South China Sea. As one of Guangdong's major marine fishing hubs and a key supply base for aquatic products, Yangjiang has for years ranked among the province's leading spots for marine-captured production.
Ahead of the reopening, local maritime, fisheries and transport authorities cleared navigation channels, inspected navigation markers and introduced temporary traffic controls in key waters to give priority to fishing vessels.