China takes measures to alleviate decline of fishery resources

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.

China takes measures to alleviate decline of fishery resources

Major floods and landslides triggered by relentless rainfall have battered Nepal, killing almost 200 people and causing widespread destruction.

Officials reported on Monday that the death toll from the monsoon floods and landslides has risen to 193 across the Himalayan nation, with at least 31 people still missing and many others injured.

The catastrophic floodwaters have destroyed many homes, cut off highways, and downed power lines.

Almost one-third of the country’s power supply, around 1,100 MW of electricity, was shut down by flooding and nearly all the country’s highways, including those connecting the capital city of Kathmandu to the rest of the country, have been blocked by flooding, landslides and debris, according to police.

Maya Hhapa Magar, a resident of Balkhu, a suburb of Kathmandu, recounted the terrifying moment the floodwaters arrived and wreaked havoc.

"It was around 4:30 in the morning. The flood entered here and swept away everything. Everything is destroyed. There is nothing out here. We don't have anything to eat. Everything is swept away by the flood. We were at least able to escape and save ourselves," said the survivor.

Rainfall of this intensity has not been seen in over a decade, with some of the worst-hit areas reporting up to 322.2 mm over the last few days.

"Compared to last year, the water level has increased. It has reached the highest level. I had seen such a flood around 15 to 20 years ago. This flooding is something unimaginable for us," said Rajesh Kumar Maharjan, a resident of hard-hit Lalitpur.

Nepal has seen higher than average monsoon rainfalls since the monsoon started in early June.

Nepal floods wreak havoc, killing nearly 200