China's distant-water catches replacing lost aquaculture production volumes, study finds

A new research paper diving into China’s seafood production over the past 10 years has found static production volumes, with distant-water catches replacing aquaculture volumes.

The study, performed by Chinese agri-focused market research consultancy Neng Xiao Feng (also trading as BeeData), suggests a contraction in local aquaculture output, albeit from historical highs, alongside a surge in distant-water catches.

China’s total seafood output of 64.6 million tons in 2021 represents a contraction of 1.3 percent from 2020, but was up from the 56.03 million tons it produced in 2011. China’s reported catch from its vast distant-water fleet totaled  ... 

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