Wenzhou Maritime Works Hard to Safeguard the Safe and Prosperous Path of the East China Sea

At 12:00 on September 16, the four-and-a-half-month summer fishing moratorium in the East China Sea was fully lifted. Over 560 fishing boats in the Wenzhou jurisdiction set sail together, starting the autumn fishing operations. This full resumption of fishing completely removes all fishing moratorium controls, with a wider variety of catch and more diverse types of fishing vessels. On the first day of fishing, fishing boats concentrated on entering and leaving the port, leading to dense intersections of commercial and fishing vessels in the jurisdiction's waterways, significantly increasing navigation pressure and highlighting the risk of maritime collisions.

On the eve of the fishing season, to ensure maritime traffic safety, Wenzhou Maritime Affairs, in collaboration with the agriculture and rural departments, conducted specialized safety education and training sessions in major fishing ports and villages such as Dongtou, Xiaguan, and Dayuwan. These sessions targeted fishing boat captains, owners, and frontline fishermen. The maritime department conducted a comprehensive survey of fishing boat departure schedules, operating periods, and high-risk water areas. They also continuously sent fishing season navigation warnings through multiple channels to shipping companies and commercial vessels in the port, guiding them to navigate cautiously, reduce speed, maintain vigilance, and actively avoid operating fishing boats. Additionally, they coordinated with Ningde Maritime, Coast Guard, and Fisheries units to carry out cross-regional joint escort law enforcement in the Zhejiang-Fujian border waters, eliminating regulatory blind spots at the border.

On the day of the fishing season's start, the Wenzhou Maritime Department, in collaboration with the agriculture and rural departments and the Coast Guard, deployed 28 law enforcement vessels and 5 drones to conduct comprehensive sea and air patrols in key waters such as Dongtou, Rui'an, Pingyang, and Cangnan. They set up 9 VTS special stations to dynamically manage waterway traffic flow, established 6 temporary anchorage areas for temporary traffic control of commercial vessels, regulated the order of fishing boats entering and leaving ports, and cleared vessels illegally occupying main waterways. These measures effectively alleviated navigation pressure on the first day of the fishing season and fully mitigated the risk of collisions between commercial and fishing vessels.

"The fishing season is not only a harvest season for fishermen but also a critical period for ensuring maritime safety," said a relevant official from the Wenzhou Maritime Department. "Next, we will continue to focus on key waters, critical periods, and core vessels during the fishing season, making every effort to ensure the safety and stability of maritime navigation in the jurisdiction."