Hainan fishermen swarm to sea as seasonal ban lifted

Sanya Yazhou fishing portonly a year old but already the largest fishing port in China's tropical island province of Hainan - welcomed the return of fishermen with their catches on Saturday night, three days after the seasonal fishing ban was lifted.

About 4,500 fishermen on 280 fishing vessels left the port, about 50 kilometers west of the coastal resort city of Sanya, for their nearby South China Sea fishing grounds at midday on Wednesday, with high expectations after a rest of three and a half months. It was the most stringent fishing ban in the South China Sea since the practice was introduced in 1999.