Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

The Zhuhai-Macao Cross-Border Industrial Zone was recently selected as a national second-batch designated port for inward edible aquatic animals, making it the first on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary.

Zhuhai-Macao Cross-Border Industrial Zone [File photo]

China’s demand of imported live edible aquatic animals is on the rise with domestic consumption improving continuously and the international logistics industry developing rapidly. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine of the PRC carried out the designated port system for edible aquatic animal imports at the end of July last year. It regulates management, staves off aquatic animal epidemic diseases, protects fishery production and consumption safety, enhances port safeguards, and promotes sound development of the aquatic animal trade. At present, nine ports in Guangdong Province have been selected as designated ports for imported edible aquatic animals.

According to the Department of Supervision on Animal & Plant Quarantine of Zhuhai Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau, the designated port will cut approval time from 30 to 15 days. It also will lengthen the valid period of pratique (license for a ship to enter port) from six months to 12 months. Based on risk analysis, the bureau will optimize inspection and quarantine patterns by checking retention samples for each finished batch with a proportion of no more than 10 percent besides mandatory examination. With the green channel system in place, goods that are not chosen as retention samples will be allowed to go through immediately after on-site inspection and quarantine.

Edible aquatic animals entering Zhuhai Port are mainly top-grade king crabs, lobsters, and geoducks. They are imported from Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. The weight of annually imported aquatic animals exceeds 20 tons valued at over $1 million.