Quanzhou, a coastal city in southeastern Fujian Province, has been a maritime hub for centuries. With its long and winding coastline dotted with numerous fishing villages, the city has developed a rich fishing culture and a diverse fleet of fishing vessels.
Today, Quanzhou ranks among the key marine fishing cities in Fujian, with 2,854 registered marine fishing vessels and approximately 42,330 fishing industry practitioners as of 2021. The city's annual marine fishing output reaches 581,000 tons, accounting for 55.2% of its total aquatic production.
Historical Evolution of Fishing Vessels
The development of Quanzhou's marine fishing fleet has gone through three distinct phases
1. Wooden Sailing Ship Phase
The earliest fishing vessels in Quanzhou were wooden sailing ships that relied entirely on wind power and human oaring. These included vessels such as the Miefan Fixed-net Boat (a wooden sailboat with sails woven from bamboo strips and palm leaves), wooden fixed-net boats that could operate in winds of force 8–9, and various traditional craft like the Wangcao (an open-deck small boat measuring 13.3 meters in length). Fishing operations during this era depended heavily on natural forces-wind direction and tidal flows determined when and where fishing could take place.
2. Fishing Motor Sailer Phase
With the introduction of engines, sailing vessels were gradually equipped with mechanical power, marking a transition period where wind and machine power coexisted.
3. Steel Fishing Vessel Phase
In the late 1990s, Quanzhou began small-scale manufacturing of steel fishing vessels, initially focusing on small trawlers with gross tonnage of 50–100 and power of 150–300 kW. After 2000, the shipbuilding industry entered a period of rapid development, with an average of about 80 steel vessels built annually. Vessel sizes grew to 80–150 gross tons with power ratings of 250–350 kW.
Classification of Fishing Vessels
1.By Length
| Category | Length |
|---|---|
| Large-scale | ≥ 24 meters |
| Medium-scale | 12 meters ≤ length < 24 meters |
| Small-scale | < 12 meters |
2.By Hull Material
| Wooden vessels | Traditional craft, still used in some inshore fisheries |
| Steel vessels | Dominant type in modern Quanzhou fisheries |
| FRP vessels | Emerging in recent years for certain applications |
Major Types of Fishing Vessels by Operation Method
Quanzhou's fishing fleet employs a variety of fishing methods, with the primary operation methods being trawling, purse seining, drift gillnetting, and set net fishing. Below are the major vessel types
01/Trawlers
Trawlers are vessels that pull a cone-shaped net through the water to catch bottom-dwelling or pelagic fish. Representative trawler types in Quanzhou include Louwei, Wangzai, Qianzeng, Dazeng, and Kawang, primarily found in Chongwu and Xiaozuo of Hui'an County, and Shenhu and Meilin of Jinjiang City.
Purse seine vessels use a large wall of netting to encircle schools of fish, then draw the bottom closed like a purse. Representative types include Xiaoweizeng, Suanwang, Yaozeng, Wuzeng, and Huazai, mainly distributed in the coastal fishing villages of Hui'an and Jinjiang.
Drift Gillnet Vessels
Drift gillnet vessels use vertical panels of netting that hang in the water column, entangling fish that attempt to swim through. This method is considered more selective and less damaging to the seabed than trawling. In recent years, Quanzhou has been actively phasing out bottom trawlers and replacing them with gillnet vessels as part of fishery resource conservation efforts.
Set Net Vessels (Fixed Net Vessels)
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Hook-and-Line Vessels (Longline Vessels)
Hook-and-line vessels use baited hooks attached to long lines to catch fish. Traditional methods in Quanzhou included using long ropes with hooks spaced approximately 3 meters apart, coiled in bamboo baskets and deployed into the sea. A small boat could catch over 500 kilograms per day using this method.
Offshore & Distant-Water Fishing Vessels
Quanzhou has been actively developing its distant-water fishing fleet. These vessels operate in international waters including the North Pacific, targeting species such as mackerel, sardines, squid, and saury. Catch is transported back via ultra-low temperature freezer vessels to Quanzhou's Shenhu Central Fishing Port.
Modernization and Technological Advancements
Large-Scale and Energy-Efficient Development
Since the 2000s, Quanzhou's fishing vessel manufacturing has been moving toward larger-scale and energy-efficient designs. Key technological improvements include:
Hull optimization to reduce propulsion resistance
Large-ratio gears with low-speed, large-duct propellers
Bow thrusters and bulbous bows to reduce wave resistance
Energy-efficient nets and advanced fish-finding/navigation instruments
Advanced Equipment
Modern Quanzhou fishing vessels are equipped with:
| Equipment |
|---|
| Satellite navigators |
| Weather facsimile machines |
| Color fish finders |
| Fish pumps |
| Power blocks |
| Chilled seawater preservation systems |
| Quick-freezing refrigerated compartment |
Crew Efficiency
The adoption of advanced technology has significantly reduced crew requirements. Large light seine vessels now operate with 18–25 crew members, down from the traditional 40–50 persons per vessel.
Fishery Resource Conservation
Quanzhou has implemented a strict summer fishing moratorium system to protect marine resources. In 2020, a total of 2,444 fishing vessels participated in the summer fishing moratorium. Different types of vessels have different fishing moratorium periods:
Trawlers, purse seiners, gillnetters, and trap vessels
May 1 – August 1 (3 months)
Small set net vessels
May 1 – August 16
Vessel Buyback and Phase-Out Programs
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period (2016 - 2020), Quanzhou completed the reduction and transformation of 905 fishing vessels for marine fishing, reducing the power of fishing vessels by 26,078.81 kilowatts. Quanzhou gradually phased out fishing vessels that were highly destructive to marine fishery resources, such as bottom trawlers and sail nets.
Cultural Heritage
Quanzhou's rich fishing vessel heritage is preserved in institutions such as the Hongyang Fishing Culture Museum in Shishi City, where visitors can view models of traditional vessels including the Miefan fixed-net boat, fixed-net motorized sailboat, wooden twin-trawler, pointed-bow boat, white-fish longline boat, light seine vessel, and steel-hulled motorized fishing vessel. These vessels represent centuries of accumulated fishing wisdom and are a testament to Quanzhou's enduring maritime culture.
Summary
| Vessel Type | Primary Fishing Method | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Trawler | Drag net along seabed | High catch volume, bottom impact |
| Purse Seiner | Encircling with net | Efficient for schooling fish |
| Light Seine Vessel | Light attraction + netting | Advanced equipment, large scale |
| Gillnetter | Vertical net panels | Selective, less seabed damage |
| Set Net Vessel | Fixed nets + tidal flow | Traditional, low energy |
| Longline Vessel | Baited hooks on long lines | High-value species |
| Distant-Water Vessel | Various | International operations |
From the humble wooden sailing ships of centuries past to today's steel behemoths equipped with satellite navigation and advanced fish-finding technology, Quanzhou's fishing vessels tell a story of continuous innovation while honoring a deep-rooted maritime heritage. As the industry moves toward greater sustainability and efficiency, these vessels remain the lifeblood of Quanzhou's coastal communities and a vital part of the city's identity.
