A record-breaking individual catch of 19.65 kg (43.3 lbs) earned first prize for Cai Jianmin at the 2020 Wanshan Islands International Fishing Open Championship while his Zhuhai Fish Team 1 (including Liang Jinjia and Que Dongwei) recorded a total catch of 22.57 kg (60.8 lbs) in the group category.

Last year, Zhuhai Fish Team 1 also had the largest catch with a combined weight of 11.33 kg (25 lbs). The entire take of all teams, eventually 350 kg (771.6 lbs), was contributed to nursing homes and special-education schools.

The Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone held the competition at Dong'ao, Big Wanshan, Small Wanshan, Baili, Hengzhou, Zhuzhou, and Guizhou islands on Jan 4 and 5. A prize pool of more than 200,000 yuan ($28,667), and especially the 60,000 yuan ($8,600) to the winner, drew 198 contestants comprising 66 teams from home and abroad.

First-prize winners

A traditional place for angling in China, the Wanshan Archipelago is at the junction of the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea in Zhuhai. A great number of large fish inhabit and reproduce there year-round, particularly during the winter.

The competition is positioned as a national angling event. It promotes the sport, raises the profile of the Wanshan Archipelago, and boosts Zhuhai’s marine economy, according to an official of the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone.

Furthermore, at the opening ceremony on Jan 3 the organizer encouraged participants to protect the marine environment.

Medical experts of Beijing Tong Ren Tang Eastern Guangdong also provided free treatment to seniors on Big Wanshan Island.

Good-sized sea bass [Photos courtesy nanfangplus]