Her sentiment is supported by research. The majority of China's coastal areas have unhealthy ecosystems due to heavy pollution, a report from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said.
Of the areas monitored by the SOA in the summer of 2014, 81 percent, or 41,000 sq km, were polluted. According to the report, most of the polluted water was concentrated in river estuaries or sea bays. The main pollutants were inorganic nitrogen, reactive phosphate and oil.
Along with the rapid development of industry and cities, coastal pollution has caused and worsened frequent episodes of red tide, a type of harmful algal bloom, said Lyu Shuguo, a researcher with the Hainan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
Lyu said 14 bays along Hainan's 1,528-kilometer-long coastline are at risk for red tide, which may threaten the health of locals and damage the environment.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NEEDED
In his message for World Oceans Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that two out of every five people live near a shore, and three out of seven depend on marine and coastal resources to survive.
He called on people to use ocean resources peacefully, equitably and sustainably for generations to come.
To ease environmental strain, China has adopted measures including massive tree-planting and coral restoration campaigns, clamping down on illegal wastewater discharge, treating polluted rivers and launching public education activities.
Experts have called for local governments to enact rules and policies and evaluate the effects of projects near straits or islands before construction to prevent possible damage to the environment.
During this year's fishing off-season in Guangxi, which lasts from May until August, Wu Ruiwei and other fishermen will gather to discuss their future: deep-sea fisheries.
"When there are fewer fish in the coastal areas, we have to go farther from shore," he said, sighing. But he does not want to bring the problems of overfishing and pollution with him, farther out to sea.
"I hope with technology and fishery management, most fisheries can be made sustainable to protect our ocean," he said.
