Nearly 30 boats from across Zhuhai convened at Wanshan Island Fishing Port on Aug 16 to celebrate the resumption of fishing with hopes for a bountiful harvest.

Two lions danced to roaring drums near the wharf at 8 am to ignite the atmosphere. Yangko folk dancers and drummers expressed a love for the motherland and celebrated young fisher women at the seafood solar-drying yard before the launch of the 1st Wanshan Fishing Festival.   

At noon, representative fishermen walked a red carpet and boarded boats amidst dazzling fireworks and shrill whistles. They then sailed for the Wanshan Fishery. 

Launch ceremony

Fishing has remained a pillar industry for the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone while the Wanshan Fishery is one of the six largest of its kind in China. It stocks more than 200 fish species with economic value, 68 types of shellfish, 61 varieties of shrimp and crab, as well as 18 kinds of seaweed. Its sun-dried fish and shrimp are popular throughout Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Over the past four decades of Reform & Opening Up, Wanshan's burgeoning island economy has driven up the local fishery, net-cage farming, processing, and tourism industries.

The annual three-and-a-half-month fishing ban in the South China Sea began on May 1. No fishing activities were permitted in affected areas during the period. The ban protects marine resources and the ecological environment.

Fishing boats ready to set sail 

Fan dancers dressed for the occasion [Photos by Cheng Lin / Zhuhai Daily]