For the krill fishing season in 2010, China sent two ocean-going fishing vessel Kai li and An Xin Hai to be involved in Antarctic krill fishing.
The fishing fleets harvested nearly 2,000 tons of krill during the 23 day exploration - an average daily output of about 100 tons, about three times more than expected.
China has participated in Antarctic expedition and scientific research for many years and set up three Antarctic stations (Changcheng, Zhongshan and Kunlun) but this is first time China has sent fishing vessels aimed at Antarctic krill.
Late last year, China began a five-year scientific research project, called Development and Utilization of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The project is being conducted by the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute (ECSFRI) and some domestic fishing companies. According to the schedule, they will investigate the Southern Ocean and do some exploratory fishing in the first three years. After that they will focus on commercial development.
With the development into the krill industry, China hopes to meet the domestic high demand of animal husbandry and aquaculture for fishmeal in order to alleviate the heavy reliance on the imported product.
