Fish prices rise as stocks drop

The East China Sea is famous for its rich marine wildlife, which has brought benefits to fishing communities along China's coast for generations. But in east China's Zhejiang Province, fish populations have been dwindling, sending prices soaring.

It's early morning in the east coast fishing village of Jiaojiang city.

Fish processing companies are waiting for the day's catch. But this year has been a tough one, with the daily haul getting smaller and smaller compared to years past.

A employer said, "Last year fishing boats were everywhere around the dock, but now there is only one boat."

Most fishes that fishermen have got this time, so small but the mature, can be that big, about 500 grams.

90% percent of the fish on this boat are young fish. Most will be frozen and made into feed for poultry and pigs. The prices they fetch are surprisingly low.

A fisherman said, "Younger fish are very cheap, only a few cents per half kilo. We have 15 000 boxes of fish, but less than 100 boxes contain big fish."

Back at the sea food market, shrimp and crab are the main products. Belt fish used to be one of the most common fish at the market, but now, they're hard to find and often have a high price.

Younger, smaller fish are being caught to offset fishermen's losses, but the impact has been minimal. Some fishermen feel deeply concerned that catching younger fish will worsen the situation.

These butter fish are too small. 120 small fish together weigh only half a kilo. In the past, 3 butter fish would weigh half a kilo.

Guo Wenbiao, fisherman, said, "It's so heart-breaking when I see so many little belt fish being caught. In the future we may no longer have any fish. I think the trading of small fish should be restricted."

Summer is the breeding season for most kinds of fish. Now more than ever, ensuring that fish stocks rebound and remain healthy, has become all the more crucial.