Progress report for
Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME)
Achievement at a glance
Reducing fishing vessel number through governmental buy-back program is being implemented in China and RO Korea. In China, the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang along the Yellow Sea will reduce 4,633 large and medium-sized vessels from 2015 to 2020, representing a 13 percent reduction in numbers, maintaining 30,879 large and medium-sized vessels by 2020. This target is being achieved along with a reduction of 741,031 kW, or 12.7 percent in vessel power in China. From 2013 to 2017, fishing vessels operating in the Yellow Sea were reduced from 25,229 to 21,929, with a reduction of 3,300 vessels. Output controls are also in place in the two countries, with evidenced decline in fish landing.31 national MPAs in China (8,056 km2) and 16 national MPA in RO Korea (386 km2) are designated to protect marine mammals, birds, fishes, mollusks, plants and algae in Yellow Sea. The national MPAs of the China and RO Korea represent 2.3 percent of Yellow Sea. Garorim Bay Marine Species Protected Area was newly added to YSLME MPA network in July 2016 covering 91.237 km2 for protection of habitat and breeding grounds of spotted seal and key habitats of marine and pelagic species. Progress is ongoing to designate Xiaoyangkou of Rudong, China as a special MPA with an area of 42.88 km2 as the critical stopover habitat for critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper along the East Asia and Australian flyway. Coastal wetland of Yancheng of Jiangsu, China, was listed as world heritage site in 2019. Coastal reclamation in China is banned since 2018 to protect the ecosystem services of coastal ecosystems of Yellow Sea.
Challenges faced in implementation
The Yellow Sea provides ecological and socioeconomic well-being to over 200 million people in the Northeast Asia region that is experiencing fast economic growth. For effective and efficient implementation of management actions in YSLME SAP, inter-ministerial coordination, civil society organizations, academia, business association and youth are facilitated through the YSLME platform. Joint efforts in monitoring and taking management measures using science-based approach in recovering fish stocks, assessing the ecosystem changes require continuous efforts of the various stakeholders. Achieving SDG14.5 is practical if emphasis is put on strengthening the management effectiveness of MPAs through capacity development and MPAs networking using biophysical connectivity. Restoring fish stocks through fishing vessel reductions requires balance in social safeguards of the displaced fishermen in the course of reducing fishing pressure.Beneficiaries
Various partners and stakeholder groups have benefited from the regional information and knowledge sharing for improved understanding of the state of the YSLME from nearly 30 stakeholder meetings, workshops, science conference and symposia. Capacity of local government, NGOs, mariculture enterprises and fishery communities have also been developed through training and study visits across the YSLME countries.