Government chiefs have pledged to allocate 270 million yuan (US$32.5 million) a year to remove the boats from the country's fishing fleet.

The implementation of the three fishing agreements China inked with Japan, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam over the past two years has narrowed China's fishing area, driving thousands of fishermen off their traditional trawling grounds, China Daily quoted minister of agriculture Du Qinglin as saying.

Ma Weijun, an official at the ministry's Fisheries Bureau, said that China has been committed to cutting the size of its fleet before the agreements were signed as over-fishing and pollution have caused stocks to plummet.

China had nearly a quarter million fishing boats in the year 2000, more than four times as many as 20 years ago.

But the nation will take 6,000 fishing vessels out of operation each year for up to five years and transfer 60,000 offshore fishermen to new jobs each year, Du said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2002)