China's first independent fishing moratorium on the high seas came into effect today In accordance with the notice of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Strengthening conservation of Squid Resources in the High Seas for Promoting Sustainable Development of China's Distant Water Fisheries (NO.16 [2020]), China's fishery Administration has, for the first time, conducted a three-month autonomous fishing moratorium in relevant waters of the high seas of the southwest Atlantic on July 1, 2020. The first independent fishing moratorium on the high seas is an innovative measure taken by China against some regional fishing activities on the high seas that have not been managed by international organizations. It is of great significance to promote the scientific conservation and long-term sustainable use of international high seas fishery resources. It is understood that the fishing moratorium is between 32°S-44°S and 48°W-60°W in the open seas of the southwest Atlantic, which is one of the main operating areas of China's pelagic squid fishery. During the fishing moratorium, all Chinese ocean-going fishing vessels, including squid fishing and trawlers, operating in the corresponding areas of the high seas of the southwest Atlantic shall cease operations. In relevant waters of the high seas of the eastern Pacific, a three-month autonomous fishing moratorium will be implemented from September 1. Zhang Xianliang, director of the Fisheries administration Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, was interviewed on China's first high-seas fishing moratorium Reporter: According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China "on strengthening the conservation of high seas squid resources to promote the sustainable development of China's distant Water fishery" (hereinafter referred to as "notice"), since July 1, China for the first time in the southwest Atlantic relevant waters of the high seas for three months of independent squid fishing moratorium. What is the background of this fishing ban? What is the significance of an independent fishing moratorium on the high seas? A: Squid is the largest fishing target of a single variety of pelagic fisheries in China, China has become the world's leading producer, market and consumer countries of high seas squid. However, due to various reasons such as climate change, in recent years, the annual fluctuation of squid resources has become more and more significant in several high seas fisheries including the southeast Pacific Ocean and the southwest Atlantic Ocean, and enterprise management risks have increased. After extensive research and expert argumentation, we believe that the implementation of fishing ban is an effective way to protect fishery resources, increase resource replenishment and fishery efficiency. The fishing ban area is based on expert research, preliminarily determined the main spawning grounds of squid. China's deep-sea fishing industry h...