[Grain Policy of a Great Country] Seafood Factory in the Deep Sea: Digital Technology Continues to “Charge” the Blue Granary

When the granaries are full, the country is at peace. Food security is the most important thing for the country. The Central Document No. 1 of 2023 pointed out that we should establish a big food concept and consolidate the foundation of food security in all aspects. "We should get food from both land and ocean, cultivate the sea and fish, build marine pastures and 'blue granaries'." After the big food concept was proposed, all sectors of society paid more attention to the construction of "blue granaries" and also paid more attention to the important component of "blue granaries" - offshore fisheries.

Starting from scratch, forty years of sailing through the waves

Looking back to the spring 40 years ago, the first distant-water fishing fleet in my country's history set sail from the port of Mawei in Fujian, sailed thousands of miles to Africa, and carried out distant-water fishing cooperation with West African countries such as Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, achieving a breakthrough in my country's distant-water fishing industry.

After nearly 40 years of hard work, my country's distant-water fishing industry has made brilliant achievements. The scale of fishing vessels, equipment level, fishing and processing capacity, and scientific research level have been established in the world. At present, the number of distant-water fishing vessels has grown to more than 2,600, and the scope of operations has expanded to 40 countries around the world and the high seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The overall size and output of the fleet are among the highest in the world.

my country's distant-water fishing industry has grown from small to large, from weak to strong, with its operating scope expanding and cooperation areas further broadening, from offshore to high seas and deep blue. Its operating fleets have spread across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the waters of more than 40 surrounding countries and the Antarctic high seas.

China's ocean-going fleet operating in West Africa

According to statistics, as of 2023, there are 177 distant-water fishing enterprises in China, with a total output of 2.3223 million tons of distant-water fisheries, accounting for 3.26% of the total output of aquatic products, a fishing output value of 25.4 billion yuan, a total economic output value of more than 100 billion yuan, and 2,462 operating distant-water fishing vessels. The overall size of the fleet and the output of distant-water fisheries are among the highest in the world.

Technology builds a chain to improve the quality and efficiency of the entire industry

With scientific and technological innovation as its engine, my country's distant-water fishing industry has built a full-chain technology system covering fishing, processing, and equipment research and development. Through breakthroughs in independent research and development, it has achieved full-process technology coverage from fishing vessel design to fishery forecasting, and equipped distant-water operations with a "smart brain."

At the same time, the efforts to update and transform distant-water fishing vessels have been intensified, the proportion of medium and large fishing vessels has increased significantly, and professional ships such as ultra-low temperature longline fishing vessels and purse seine vessels have been launched one after another, greatly improving the size of the fleet and the level of equipment.

Moreover, the operation mode of distant-water fishing has developed from single bottom trawling to a variety of methods including large-scale trawl, large-scale purse seine, large-scale longline fishing, etc., forming a relatively complete modern distant-water fishing production system integrating marine fishing, offshore processing, supply transportation, and base supporting services, which has changed the passive situation in the past where refueling transportation was controlled by the West.

Yellow Sea Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. tuna longline fishing vessel

Through the establishment of institutions such as the Distant-Water Fisheries Data Center, Distant-Water Fisheries Engineering Technology Center, Distant-Water Fisheries College, and Distant-Water Fisheries International Compliance Center, the resource assessment, research and development, and international compliance capabilities have been continuously improved, and a large number of professional talents in distant-water fisheries have been trained. At the same time, the systems of fishing vessel approval and operation supervision have been improved to promote the seamless connection of the management system with international rules.

Although my country's distant-water fishing industry started late, it has developed rapidly. In less than 40 years, it has completed the journey that some developed countries took more than 100 years to complete, making my country one of the world's important distant-water fishing countries.

The continuous development of offshore fisheries has not only enhanced my country's voice in the management and allocation of marine resources as a sovereign state, but also ensured the output of a large number of high-quality aquatic products, enriching the domestic and foreign aquatic product markets. Moreover, through technology exports and cooperation, it has helped the economic development of developing countries and played a unique role in promoting my country's peaceful diplomatic process.

Aquatic products for sale in the market

Innovation empowers, new journey leads the deep blue

As an important part of the construction of the "blue granary", while developing rapidly, the distant-water fishery is also facing many challenges such as resources and environment, scientific and technological innovation, equipment research and development, and technology application.

In recent years, the field of fishery science and technology has accelerated the breakthrough of core technologies, promoted technology integration and achievement transformation, and injected strong momentum into the distant-water fishery. By equipping with Beidou navigation, electronic fishing logs, ship position monitoring and other intelligent equipment, the international compliance capability, supervision efficiency, safety assurance, equipment level, and green and environmental protection capabilities of distant-water fishing vessels have been greatly improved.

Zhoushan Coast Guard is checking the AIS system of fishing boats

The construction and expansion of new shipbuilding technology research and development and process teams have promoted the formation of a forward-looking shipbuilding system, and modern ocean-going fishing vessels are sailing towards the deep blue sea.

At present, intelligent technology has been widely used in modern ocean-going fishing vessels. The ships are equipped with GPS navigation systems, automatic identification systems (AIS) and radar equipment to ensure navigation safety and positioning accuracy. The data monitoring and management system can collect and analyze marine environmental data and operation information in real time, synchronize with the onshore control center through satellite communications, and realize remote monitoring and management. Semi-automatic and even fully automated fishing systems have also become popular, allowing crew members to remotely control and improve safety and work efficiency.

Fishing equipment exhibited at the 2024 Offshore Fisheries Promotion Conference

At the 2024 Offshore Fisheries New Technology, New Products and New Equipment Promotion Conference, 26 new technologies, new products and new equipment were unveiled, covering fish finder terminals, tuna purse seines, new shrimp trawl nets and other cutting-edge fields. Offshore fisheries are developing in the direction of green, low-carbon, ecological, safe and high-quality.

Author: Liu Yadan, Researcher, former Assistant Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Fisheries and Chief Scientific Communication Expert of China

Scientific review: Huang Liuyi, PhD supervisor at Ocean University of China

Planning: Wu Yuetong

Editor: Tian Xinyu