Transforming China’s Fisheries: A 40-Year Journey toward Sustainable Management (1980–2019)

As the world’s largest producer of fish, China has faced significant challenges in developing its fisheries. Over the past four decades, China has implemented and adjusted multiple regulations and measures to reverse the decline of aquatic resources and achieve sustainable fisheries. This study analyzes the production trends and efforts during the period 1980–2019, highlighting the key features of and structural shifts in China’s fisheries. Our results reveal a significant shift in seafood production from capture to aquaculture and from offshore to inshore waters. Moreover, China’s fishery policy has transitioned from resource exploitation to ecological conservation, with aquaculture production in 2019 being nearly 38 times higher than that in 1980. However, not all the management measures have been successful; for example, the “Dual Control” policy failed to achieve its goals. Despite this, some measures that require adjustments, such as the “Aquatic Germplasm Resource Reserves” and “Nature Reserve for Aquatic Animals and Plants” policies, show promise for further improving the sustainability of China’s fisheries, particularly if the focus is on marine resources.