The Yellow Sea has been an important fishing ground for generations of Chinese and South Korean fishermen. The conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources in the Yellow Sea are vital to both countries’ fishery development, marine ecological protection, and the well-being of coastal communities. To implement the China–South Korea Fishery Agreement and jointly conserve fishery resources in the Yellow Sea, the Seventh China–South Korea Joint Release of Fishery Resources for Stock Enhancement was held simultaneously in China and South Korea on June 16, based on the consensus reached by the China–South Korea Joint Committee on Fisheries. 

During this year’s event, the South Korean side released 4.29 million fry and juveniles of commercially important species into the Yellow Sea, including small yellow croaker, red sea bream, and swimming crab. The Chinese side simultaneously released 3 million fry and juveniles of commercially important species in Yantai, Shandong Province, including black sea bream, greenfin horse-faced filefish, and swimming crab. 

The Chinese and South Korean governments signed the China–South Korea Fishery Agreement in 2000. In recent years, the two sides have carried out continuous cooperation and achieved remarkable results in areas such as fishing access arrangements, fishery resource conservation, scientific research, and joint law enforcement. In 2016, the 16th meeting of the China–South Korea Joint Committee on Fisheries reached a consensus on organizing annual joint fish release events. Since 2018, China and South Korea have held such joint events seven times, releasing a total of over 18.75 million fry and juveniles of aquatic species into the Yellow Sea, including black sea bream, red sea bream, greenfin horse-faced filefish, small yellow croaker, and swimming crab. These events have effectively promoted the recovery of commercially important fish stocks in the Yellow Sea, improved the marine ecosystem, and increased the income of fishermen of both countries. 

The development of China’s fishery sector adheres to the principles of sustainability and responsibility. In recent years, China has comprehensively implemented measures in multiple areas, including setting fish catch limits for marine resources, implementing summer moratoriums, improving the management of fishing boats, organizing training courses for fishermen, and launching a series of law enforcement actions under the “China Fishery Law Enforcement” campaign. China has released over 67.7 billion fry and juveniles of various aquatic species into the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. In April 2025, China officially joined the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Its new Fisheries Law took effect on May 1, 2026. The law further prioritizes the crackdown on illegal fishing and imposes stringent penalties on all violations in order to safeguard marine fishery resources.