People visit the China (Fuzhou) International Seafood & Fisheries Expo held in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 4, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

 Negotiations on fisheries subsidies were launched at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference held in Doha from June 12 to 17, and an agreement was made to limit over-fishing in order to secure the sustainable development of global marine resource. China’s agricultural and financial ministries launched a similar campaign in 2021.

East China’s Shandong Province and Southeast China’s Fujian Province both issued documents in 2022 vowing to provide marine resource protection subsidies and canceled fishing boat fuel subsidies that had been in place for 15 years, marking an important step toward securing marine resources. 

The provinces said the subsidies would be measured according to the amount of fishing during the suspension, and they also listed penalties for any violation. 

China’s Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs has issued detailed outlines for supporting domestic fisheries, which included inspections of marine resource nationwide and further international agreements. 

The outlines also mentioned increasing the mechanization of fishing facilities and equipment to boost sustainable fisheries.