Nearly 16 million people in China depend on fisheries production for their livelihoods. A massive overhaul of the law governing their work, unveiled in December 2024, could impact all of them.
China’s current fisheries law came into force in 1986. The amendments proposed to it last year are the most extensive since 2000, Zhang Yanxuedan, an associate professor at Shanghai Ocean University’s College of Marine Culture and Law, told Dialogue Earth.
That revision 25 years ago brought in a system of management based on total allowable catch. It has had three minor updates in subsequent years.
In contrast, 48 of 50 existing articles would be amended in the latest proposals, which also add 32 new articles and a whole chapter on supervision and management of fisheries. This reform has been in preparation for a decade, says Zhang, and she has “great hope” that it will be passed this year.
The revision places a strong focus on sustainability and conservation, which has pleased many in environmental circles. Wang Songlin, president of the Qingdao Marine Conservation Society, says: “Generally, I feel like this version of [the] fisheries law has more emphasis on sustainable development and green development.”
Others say they want to see more protections for fishers’ livelihoods, as the legislation could alter many existing ways of harvesting the seas.
It took more than a decade of work from experts and legislators for the revised draft to reach the state legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC).
It is now with the NPC’s standing committee, its permanent body, for review, and was open for public consultation until 23 January. The standing committee usually reviews a bill two or three times before it is passed.
Experts involved in and observing the process told Dialogue Earth that significant efforts were made coordinating with and getting feedback from across government and stakeholders.
Zhang notes that the fisheries law regulates the industry and its sustainable use and protection of natural resources, but it is also vital that it protects fishers.
“These three aspects involve different regulatory demands. Coordinating and balancing these different interests, while fulfilling the aims of the legislation, is a challenge in revising the law,” she says. “Pushing for such significant legislation amendment is not easy.”