China's fisheries development continues its sound momentum

Since 2014, fisheries departments at all levels across the country have earnestly studied and implemented the spirit of the State Council's national teleconference on modern fisheries development, seized the momentum, and opened up a new phase in modern fisheries development. Statistics show that the first half of 2014 continued the sound momentum of fisheries development since the“12th Five-Year Plan”.

Rapid growth of the fisheries economy. In the first half of 2014, the total output value of the fisheries economy of the whole society was 750.188 billion yuan, with value added of 352.158 billion yuan, up 6.59% and 6.35% respectively year on year. Among this, the output value of fisheries was 392.097 billion yuan, the output value of fisheries industry and construction was 184.157 billion yuan, and the output value of fisheries circulation and services was 173.934 billion yuan.

Steady development of fisheries production, with ample supply of aquatic products. According to monthly statistical reports from 20 major fisheries-producing provinces nationwide, national aquatic product output from January to June was 26.1638 million tons, up 3.40% year on year. According to separate surveys, highlights in distant-water fisheries development were prominent: total output in the first quarter was 476,600 tons, up 64% year on year, and the benefits of 329 distant-water fishing vessels newly put into operation last year began to emerge. Aquaculture area grew steadily. The aquaculture area was 7.6298 million hectares, up 3.81% year on year.

Aquatic product prices were generally stable. In the first half of this year, the aquatic product market was basically stable. Although affected by downward economic pressure and the policy environment, sales of famous, special and high-quality products decreased and prices fell, transactions in bulk varieties remained active, and the market as a whole saw brisk buying and selling. According to statistics on transaction prices at 80 aquatic product wholesale markets nationwide, the composite average price at aquatic product wholesale markets was generally stable, but the price fluctuations of individual varieties were relatively large. In the first half of this year, the composite average price at aquatic product wholesale markets was 22.42 yuan/kg, up 3.71% year on year.

Aquatic product trade stabilized and rebounded. Affected by the factor of arbitrage trade in the same period of 2013 raising the base, aquatic product export data showed a downward trend at the beginning of the year. But after entering March, an obvious rebound began to appear, and aquatic product trade stabilized and rebounded. According to customs statistics, in the first half of the year the total volume of aquatic product imports and exports was 4.1403 million tons, and the total import and export value was 14.401 billion US dollars, up 4.98% and 5.06% respectively year on year.

The fisheries safety situation was good. All localities attached great importance to fisheries safety supervision and strengthened aquatic product quality and safety management, ensuring that no major or extraordinarily serious fisheries safety production accidents occurred during major holidays, and the fisheries safety production situation remained generally stable in the first half of the year.