Fishing fleets set sail [Photo by Jiang Xinheng]

369 fishing boats were setting sail for the sea at 12 am on August 16 on Pingtan, an island off Southeast China's Fujian province. Resounding firecrackers marked the end of the three-and-a-half-month fishing moratorium. 

The 65-year-old Zhao Chaoping with over 40 years of fishing experience was excited, “As the fishing ban is just removed, there will definitely be a large quantity of fish. I believe there will be bountiful catches this year.”

Some outbound fishing boats will return the same day. Boats with light nets are expected to come back within 2 to 3 days at the earliest, while trawl boats within a week. By then, the first batch of harvest will flood into local markets, supplying a plethora of seafood to the island’s dinner table.  

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