Xi, other leaders pay tribute to fallen heroes on Martyrs' Day

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state attended a tribute-paying ceremony at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing on Monday morning to present flower baskets to fallen national heroes.

The event was held to mark China's 11th Martyrs' Day, a day ahead of its National Day which falls on Oct. 1.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and the other leaders, including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng, attended the ceremony together with representatives from all walks of life.

China's nearshore fishery resources have maintained a maximum sustainable yield of over 10 million tonnes, alleviating the trend of resource decline following a series of measures to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the industry, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

In recent years, China has optimized its seasonal fishing ban system, and further extended the period to promote the recovery of nearshore fishery resources.

China's summer fishing ban, starting on May 1 annually, is part of the country's efforts to protect marine fishery resources and the ecological environment. No fishing activities are allowed in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the waters north to 12 degrees north latitude of the South China Sea during the moratorium period.

With the management of total marine fishery resources and the "double control" system aimed at controlling both the total number of fishing vessels and the amount of engine power, China has limited its total domestic marine fisheries catch to within 10 million tonnes, and the number of large and medium-sized fishing vessels within 50,000.

"We have established 169 national-level marine ranches, deployed over 20 million cubic meters of artificial fish reefs, and released more than 20 billion artificially-bred marine life of various species. We are conducting surveys in 51 national marine aquatic germplasm resources conservation areas, and carrying out regular investigations into nearshore fishery resources and ecological monitoring of fishing areas," said Liu Xinzhong, director of the Bureau of Fisheries under the ministry.

According to surveys and monitoring, China's nearshore fishery resources have seen slight fluctuations in recent years, but maintained a steady momentum, with the maximum sustainable yield of the resources staying above 10 million tonnes.