Beijing residents are in for a treat as fishermen and a local restaurant have agreed to sell seafood from the South China Sea in the capital.
Hundreds of fishermen from the Nansha Islands, Xisha Islands and Dongsha Islands recently signed contracts with Beijing restaurant Nansha Yugang, which will offer more than 300 types of seafood including fish, shrimp and crab from the South China Sea to Beijing within 48 hours, the Beijing Times reported Saturday.
The seafood is transported through cold-chain vehicles from Tanmen port in Qionghai, South China's Hainan Province to Beijing.
"Signing contracts with local fishermen directly could protect their rights, although there is a long off-season in a year and a drop in the number of fish around the islands," Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for the South China Sea, told the Global Times.
Normally, local fishermen would sell seafood to Hainan markets, while some private companies would purchase the products from them, Chen said.
Chen added that seafood from the South China Sea has a potential market in Beijing, as they taste differently from their East China Sea counterparts.
"The Hainan provincial government also offered financial support to local fishermen, including for their vessels' maintenance and fuel to encourage the fishing industry to protect the country's sovereignty in the South China Sea," he said.
From May 16 to August 1, no fishing was allowed in parts of the sea under China's jurisdiction, except by single-layer gill nets or other approved methods, including conventional angling.
According to the provincial fisheries department, the 7,952 fishing boats affected by the ban made up 32 percent of fishing boats in the province, with over 36,000 fishermen affected.
Fishing bans in the South China Sea began in 1999. Although they have reduced the income of some fishermen, bans protect and ensure the industry's sustainability.
