Chinese governments on June 11 issued the "Bulletin on 2001 Eco-environment of Chinese Fishery" under the "Law of Marine Environment Protection" and the "Law for Protection and Treatment of Water Pollution".

The Chinese fishery was confronted with a crucial eco-environment problem in 2001. In the coastal and inland waters as monitored more than half of them were polluted to a varied extent.

As compared to that in 2000, the environment hadn't been improved. Though some pollution indexes were alleviated as against that of 2000, the environment pollution along the seacoast and in the main inland waters had as a whole witnessed a deteriorating tendency and a daily seriousness of saturation in the fishing waters.

The year of 2001 showed a conspicuous increase of pollution in fishery as against that in 2000. Though it saw a reduction of losses in value yet the damage entailed for environmental pollution and losses in fish resource was by and large the same as that in 2000.

The environment pollution, industrial construction and natural calamities have aggravated with every passing day the difficulties in the proliferation of fish resource and recovery of eco-environment in the fishing waters.

The Bulletin indicates:

A. In 2001, the eco-environment in Chinese fishing waters was generally fine, with part of the waters being polluted to certain extent and pollution in some areas relatively serious and so the fish resource and fishing was affected to some extent.

B. The water quality in the spawning, fry-feeding and winter-spending areas in the waters far from the seacoast and in the upper reaches of major inland waters was fine and remained at large unpolluted, that was suitable for the proliferation and growth of fish. And the fish growing in these water areas is of fine quality.

C. The fishing waters near the seacoast, in river outlets and some bays in the interior were polluted to certain extent.

In comparison to that of 2000 as monitored from the spawning and feeding areas for fry and shrimps at the seacoast, there saw an expansion in need of oxygen by such chemicals as inorganic nitrogen and copper in the water.

The water pollution in aquatic-product cultivating areas for sea-fish, shrimp, clam and algae was comparatively serious with the content of inorganic nitrogen to exceed the limit by a big margin.

D. The water-pollution in the spawning, fry-feeding and migration waters in rivers and lakes was still serious. As compared to that of 2000, the content of heavy metal copper, non-ionic ammonia, volatile phenol and sub-nitrate saw an increase in varied degrees, only with the oil content reduced a little bit.

E. The year 2001 witnessed 1,241 times of big pollution damage in fishery, causing a direct economic loss of RMB 350 million-yuan and the environmental pollution incurred a loss of RMB 3 billion-yuan in sea fisheries, around the same as that in 2000.

F. The environmental pollution, industrial construction and natural calamities brought damages to the eco-environment in the fishing waters and so the proliferation and recovery of fish resource was in a way affected.

(People's Daily June 18, 2002)