Beibu Gulf Fishery--Guangxi

Beibu Gulf fishery, located in Beihai city, Guangxi province, is one of the largest marine fisheries in China. The Beibu Bay, a natural semi-enclosed bay in the northwest of the South China Sea, covers an area of 129,300 square km, with the depth of water averaging 38 meters, the deepest point at 100 meters down.

Located in the tropic zone, the Beibu Gulf provides a favorable environment for the breeding and growth of various fish species. It is home to over 500 types of fish and shellfish. Among them over 50 are of economic value. They include red snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel, oysters, sea horse, horsehoe crab, sea snake, scallops,sea cucumbers, butterfish and red coat. The Beibu Gulf Fish Farm covers an area of some 40,000 square sea miles. According to experts, the Beibu Gulf has an estimated yearly output of about 1.4 million tons of fish. Assuming 50% of the catch is allowable, the potential fishing volume would be about 0.7 million tons.

The Beibu Gulf is currently being promoted as a centre for regional economic integration through strategies and plans such as "Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation","Two corridors and One Circle" and the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone. According to the Chinese plan, the Beibu Gulf economic zone will become China's fourth coastal economic growth pole, after the Pearl River delta, the Yangtze River delta and the Bohai economic circle. The Pan-Beibu economic cooperation area is likely to become another economic integration initiative to further bind the economies of China and most of the Southeast Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Brunei.