Zhejiang should accelerate the high-quality development of distant-water fishing, according to Zheng Hong, a member of the 12th Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC).

"Distant-water fishing provides a means to overcome coastal resource limits and expand the development space of the fishing industry," said Zheng during the fourth session of the 12th CPPCC of Zhejiang Province held on Jan 25 in Hangzhou.

Statistics show that by the end of 2020, Zhejiang was home to 738 distant-water fishing ships and more than 18,000 people worked in the distant-water fishing industry.

In 2015, the first national distant-water fishing industry base was established in Zhoushan, where a complete industrial chain has taken shape that includes fishing, delivery, cold storage, and processing.

Zhejiang is expected to generate more than 80 billion yuan ($12.35 billion) in output from the distant-water fishing industry by the end of 2025.

"Although the industry has seen rapid development in Zhejiang, we cannot take it for granted," noted the political advisor, who added that the province faces many challenges, including a need for supporting facilities and a shortage of talent and strong companies.

Zheng said that there is still a considerable gap between Zhejiang and advanced countries such as Norway and Japan.

He believes that first, relevant provincial departments must formulate measures to support the development of the distant-water fishing industry base in Zhoushan and improve the industry's comprehensive service capabilities.

They should also encourage aquatic products processing companies to process distant-water aquatic products in order to improve processing capabilities, added Zheng.

He also suggested a cooperation mechanism be formed between professional universities and local companies to train workers for the distant-water fishing industry.