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Kathy Gao

Fan Bing likes to go the extra mile for his fishing hobby. He often takes a three-hour flight from his home in Taiyuan to Shenzhen, then drives more than 100km to a pier where he embarks on a 20-hour voyage that takes him to an oilfield in the South China Sea.
"I go fishing there over a dozen times every year. Every time I go with a group of people and the whole trip costs around 10,000 yuan [HK$12,000] each," said Fan, 35, who works in advertising, as he boarded a boat for another fishing trip, this time in Qingdao .
Angling has always been Fan's biggest hobby but a trip to a South China Sea oilfield in 2012 showed him a new aspect of the sport.
"I love fishing in the ocean. The broad ocean makes me feel better. And it's more exciting when you catch fish because sea fish are hard to reel in," he said.
Previously, Fan had fished in lakes and reservoirs, but was making fewer catches due to water pollution.
He is far from alone in his decision to switch to ocean angling.
Hao Weidong, director of the competition committee of the China Angling Association, said ocean angling had in recent years transformed from being out of reach to most hobbyists to being a popular pastime due to China's rapid economic growth. In the past five years it had become particularly popular, he said.
"Angling in the sea is relatively more expensive. Its popularity has a lot to do with improved living standards. Some people even buy yachts to go fishing these days," said Hao.
He said ocean fishing had caught on first in the more developed coastal areas such as Zhejiang and Guangdong, but now its popularity had spread across the country.
Chen Rongjin, the president of Zhuhai Fishing Association, said many enthusiasts came to Zhuhai every year to spend a week or two fishing in the sea. "There are even ocean fishing clubs in inland cities such as Lanzhou and Zhengzhou ," said Chen.
Chen estimates the number of ocean anglers more than doubles every year. Zhuhai, a city of over 1.5 million people, has more than 60,000 ocean anglers, according to Chen.
Fan from Taiyuan said most of the anglers who went to the South China Sea oilfield were from southern coastal areas or first-tier, more economically developed cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But Hao said the sport was not only for the rich and wealthy.
"There are also many ordinary people who rent a boat to go fishing. The key thing is most Chinese people have the basic economic means to afford fishing in the sea," Hao said.
Noticing the rapid development of the sport, Wang Shuliang from Laizhou in Shandong province this year purchased a boat, hoping to rent it out to anglers and encourage more people to going fishing in his home city.
Wang used to run his own retail business, but it has suffered in recent years, due he believes to the slowing economy.
"It's very difficult to do business now, but I see the quick development of ocean fishing and want to do related tourism projects," said Wang. Each fishing trip on Wang's boat costs about 200 yuan.
"More and more people come here for fishing. Some people come in their Porsches, some drive vans," Wang said.
Most of his customers are from Beijing and Jinan , the capital city of Shandong.
"Fish tackle stores have mushroomed in Laizhou. The economic situation may not be that good now, but tackle stores have very good business," Wang said.
He believes the number of anglers in Laizhou has doubled in the past three years.
"I think as people become better off, the things they consume also change," said Wang. "People are stressed at work and need something to relieve that. That's where fishing comes in."
One man in Zhuhai, who only gave his surname Xie, has been a passionate angler for the past two decades and goes fishing in the sea almost every week. He works as a low-level manager at a state-run company and sees fishing as a means of exercise.
"It's not easy to do business these days. We are all under a lot of pressure. Fishing in the sea is a good way to reduce pressure. It can be dangerous, but it's lots of fun," he said.
The internet has also helped in making the sport more popular. There are many forums where enthusiasts share stories and pictures of their adventures.
Fan posted on one in January to seek like-minded anglers in Taiyuan for his long-distance trip to the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, worsening pollution is driving ocean anglers further out.
"The number of fish in offshore areas has severely dropped in recent years because of water pollution, over-fishing and offshore aquaculture," said Hao, of the China Angling Association.
Some of the most eager and well-financed anglers are even venturing far beyond Chinese waters. Hao said he and friends had gone to Hawaii for a week last August to fish.
"Chinese anglers have footprints all over the world," he said.


Chinese anglers hooked on new-found passion for sea fishing

Anglers say fishing at sea helps them relax amid the stresses and strains of modern life. Photo: Xinhua

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Lower catches due to inland water pollution one factor leading enthusiasts to head for the oceans


Chinese anglers hooked on new-found passion for sea fishing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lower catches due to inland water pollution one factor leading enthusiasts to head for the oceans

Lower catches due to inland water pollution one factor leading enthusiasts to head for the oceans