Xia Yongxiang (right, first), a deputy from Zhoushan, attends the panel discussion of the Zhejiang delegation to the 13th National People's Congress on March 5 in Beijing. [Photo/WeChat account: zhoushanrenda]

With the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) opening on March 5 in Beijing, the Zhejiang delegation to the session held a panel discussion in the afternoon to review the central government's work report that had been delivered that morning.

Xia Yongxiang, a deputy from Zhoushan, proposed his suggestions about protecting marine ecology and renovating offshore fishing grounds across the country. 

China's marine fishery is now faced with many challenges, such as resource decline, overcapacity, fishing disorder, and difficulties in marine ecological control and fishermen's income rise.

Xia suggested that the government should strengthen the fishery law enforcement by offering subsidies to the law enforcement personnel to improve their work initiative, and called for a strict implementation of the ban on fishing in summer to protect the fish resources. 

He also suggested launching a stronger fight against illegal fishing boats, which, as he put, are the chief culprit of the disorder in the offshore fishing grounds. 

In recent years, China has prohibited more than 39,800 illegal fishing boats from operating, among which 16,700 are from Zhejiang province. 

"The offshore fishing grounds are the foundation of our country's marine fishery and an important part of our coastal ecology. Therefore, the national authorities should strengthen the protection of marine fishery resources and ecology by renovating the offshore fishing grounds, especially by promoting the successful practices of Zhejiang province," said Xia. 

In addition, Xia suggested that the policymakers should solicit more opinions from fishermen to ensure the smooth implementation of their policies, and called for a new round of subsidies from the government for bunker fuel used in fishery.

More than 3,000 fishing boats get ready to set sail for fishing at the Shenjiamen Fishing Port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on Aug 15, 2018. [Photo/IC]