Fishermen in Shengsi county, Zhoushan, Zhejiang province harvest mussels. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Shengsi county in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province is like a fairyland on the sea in winter, attracting numerous distinguished national first-class protected animal "visitors", such as the yellow-billed egret and the black-faced spoonbill often spotted on its Huaniao Island.

There are currently 171 species of higher plants and 34 species of birds inhabiting the island, according to authorities.

This can be largely attributed to the county's continuous efforts to restore and protect its marine ecological environment in recent years.

Specifically, authorities released guidelines on encouraging mussel breeders to replace foam floats with a new type of environmentally friendly floating buoy, which is expected to reduce the volume of 210 metric tons of discarded white foam per year.

The move holds profound significance for improving the ecological environment of the aquaculture area and its surrounding waters, noted a local official.

Shengsi has also invested 316 million yuan ($44.16 million) in implementing marine ecological protection and restoration projects, including coastal zone remediation and restoration on Sijiao Island and the Jihu Beach restoration project.

Furthermore, the local government continues to carry out artificial breeding and release programs and has invested 34 million yuan in releasing over 4 billion juvenile fish species such as red grouper, black porgy, red snapper, and yellow croaker since 2016.

Shengsi has also established a national marine special protection zone and a national marine park.