Wang Yang: Transform the Development Mode of Distant-Water Fisheries and Advance China's Distant-Water Fisheries Development
On the morning of March 30, a symposium marking 30 years of China's distant-water fisheries was held in Beijing. Wang Yang, Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture, presided over the meeting. Yu Kangzhen, Vice Minister of Agriculture, introduced the national development of distant-water fisheries. Representatives from the Fujian Provincial Government, China National Agricultural Development Group, Shanghai Ocean University and Shanghai Fisheries Group, including one captain, made exchange speeches on behalf of local governments, distant-water fishery enterprises, research and teaching institutions, and frontline distant-water fishery crew members respectively.
Vice Minister Yu Kangzhen introduced that China's distant-water fisheries started in 1985 and, after 30 years of development, have achieved tremendous success. In 2014, the national total output and total output value of distant-water fisheries reached 2.03 million tons and 18.5 billion yuan respectively. The number of operating distant-water fishing vessels reached more than 2,460, with a total power of nearly 1 million kilowatts. Both the overall size of the fleet and the output of distant-water fisheries ranked among the top in the world. The overall equipment level of distant-water fishing vessels improved significantly, and a modern, specialized and standardized distant-water fishing vessel fleet began to take shape. The operating sea areas expanded from a few West African countries to the exclusive economic zones of 40 countries and regions, as well as the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic waters. China has successively established fishery cooperation relations with many countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Pacific island countries, signed fishery cooperation agreements and protocols with more than 20 countries, and joined 8 intergovernmental international fishery organizations, achieving the smooth development of China's distant-water fisheries under the existing international fishery management framework.
In his speech, Vice Premier Wang Yang emphasized that it is necessary to actively adapt to the new situation of economic and social development and opening-up, transform the development mode of distant-water fisheries, accelerate the building of a modern distant-water fishery industrial system with reasonable layout, excellent equipment, complete supporting facilities, standardized management and strong support, enhance comprehensive strength and international competitiveness, and push China from a major distant-water fishery country toward a strong distant-water fishery country.
Wang Yang pointed out that over the past 30 years, China's distant-water fisheries have grown from nothing, from small to large, and from weak to strong, achieving achievements that attracted worldwide attention and making important contributions to enriching China's aquatic product supply, promoting fishermen's income growth, advancing international agricultural exchange and cooperation and agricultural product trade, and safeguarding national maritime rights and interests. In the new stage of industrial transformation and structural adjustment of the world's distant-water fishery industry, it is necessary to take enhancing enterprise strength and comprehensive industrial benefits as the main focus, actively cultivate and strengthen modern distant-water fishery enterprises, promote the mutual integration and integrated development of fishing, processing and logistics industries, and strive to build a number of well-known Chinese distant-water fishery enterprises and product brands. It is necessary to conscientiously implement and improve various policies supporting distant-water fisheries, transform distant-water fisheries with modern material conditions and science and technology, and upgrade distant-water fisheries with modern business concepts and management methods. It is necessary to strengthen safety education and management and establish a good image of China as a responsible major fishery country.
Minister Han Changfu put forward three requirements for implementing Vice Premier Wang Yang's speech and the spirit of the meeting: First, do a good job in industry guidance and services. Fishery authorities at all levels should further enhance strategic and overall awareness, place the development of distant-water fisheries in a more prominent position, strengthen planning guidance, do a good job in coordination services, improve and perfect a distant-water fishery management system aligned with international standards, enhance management levels, and promote the sustained and healthy development of distant-water fisheries. Second, create a good development environment. It is hoped that all localities and departments will, as always, support the development of distant-water fisheries, promote the inclination of funds, policies and talent toward distant-water fisheries, and promote distant-water fisheries to become bigger and stronger. Aquatic research and teaching institutions should continue to strengthen scientific and technological research and development and the transformation and application of results in distant-water fisheries, and cultivate a talent team suited to the development of modern distant-water fisheries. Third, enhance the level of enterprise development. Distant-water fishery enterprises should enhance their sense of responsibility, mission and urgency, seize opportunities, forge ahead, improve their internal strengths, strengthen internal standardized management, strengthen crew education and training, safeguard the lawful rights and interests of crew members, shape harmonious labor relations, strictly implement the production safety responsibility system, and resolutely prevent foreign-related safety incidents. Fishery authorities at all levels should encourage enterprises to become bigger and stronger through mergers and reorganization, and enhance the risk resistance and international competitiveness of distant-water fishery enterprises.
Responsible comrades from relevant departments including the Central Rural Work Leading Group Office, the Central Foreign Affairs Office, the General Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration of Taxation, the Research Office of the State Council, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the State Oceanic Administration and the China Coast Guard, responsible comrades from relevant departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Agriculture and fishery authorities of relevant provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), representatives of aquatic research and teaching institutions, industry associations and distant-water fishery enterprises, as well as veteran comrades who made outstanding contributions to distant-water fisheries, attended the meeting.