Implications of historic development and economic performance of molluscan fisheries in China 1950-2017

Abstract

This is the first attempt that discusses molluscan fisheries of China in terms of economic perspective. The originality of this research stems into the analysis of a long series of data, 1950-2017, 68 years covering pre and post-reform era, starting from the time when China had limited infrastructure to becoming world’s largest producer of aquatic products. Since its liberation, the Chinese economy has gone through various disruptions and transformations, which include famine, Cultural Revolution and accession to world trade organization during the late 1950s, the late 1960s and in 2011 correspondingly. Coupled with various macroeconomic perturbations, Chinese fisheries sector has also gone through various transformations of its own such as the shift from inshore to offshore fishing with the passage of time. Consequently, molluscan fisheries sector has experienced remarkable changes. Molluscan fisheries landings have considerably increased from 1950 (90500 t) to 2017 (1797475 t). However, the decline in the capture production has been observed after 2000 due to overexploitation. Trade (export + import) of molluscs (volume + value) is on the move since 1984 as a result of market liberalization and development policies. The tendency for molluscs consumption is also increasing with the passage of time.