Theory And Practice: A Study On The Development Of The Leisure Fishery

In recent years, with the continuing recession of fishery resources, China's fishery development has all been falling into an unprecedented predicament. Meanwhile, with the dramatic increase of productivity and the rapid development of science and technology, great changes have taken place in of the mode of production, and'leisure'has gradually become an important component of modern life. The standard of leisure has become an important symbol to measure the national standard of living.As a comprehensive utilization of fishery resources, leisure fishery is a breakthrough in fishery development; it is becoming a new approach to problems in fishery development and a strategic choice to adjust the structure of the fishery industry.The study of leisure fishery should be based on such thoughts as Marxist leisure thoughts, western leisure value theories, consuming economics, industrial evolution and upgrading theories, etc.The development of the leisure fishery can enhance the relative benefit of fishery, promote the protection and optimization of fishery resources, offer reliable opportunities for fisherman occupation switching, improve fishing village environment preservation, and contribute to the construction of new socialist fishing villages. In addition, it can also enrich recreational activities in tourism and the general public's spiritual-cultural life, expand recreational space in tourist attractions, optimize the structure of tourism industry, and reduce pressure on non-renewable tourist resources.Leisure fishery evolves from traditional fishery and is after all one type of fishery. It utilizes fishery resources to meet recreational needs and to serve tourists. This new type of fishery differentiates itself from traditional fishery in internal content, history, consuming subjects, social functions, activity subjects, industrial nature, market support, development prospects, etc.Leisure fishery and its resources display such features as locality, immobility, reusability, changeability, variety, and properties of fishing culture, and may serve economic, social and ecological functions. Resources may be either natural and cultural, providing sight-seeing, recreational, food, accommodating, shopping and traveling services. To assess leisure fishery resources and their value and to develop them, an evaluation model is needed.To start and maintain operation, leisure fishery needs sufficient natural, resource, guest-source, location, infrastructure, capital, and technological conditions. For rational, scientific and integrated leisure fishery development, principles should be established to follow laws of the market, to highlight characteristics and relative advantage, to pursue overall benefits, and to encourage participation. Leisure fishery may provide services in forms of recreation (contests), sight-seeing, performance/exhibition, and fishing festivity. A new project goes through project targeting, feasibility research, overall planning and assessment, specific designing, construction, to operation-management.The operational parties of leisure fishery—fishermen or their cooperative organizations—should be compatible with features of the products and services it offers. Operations may evolve from private management, loose cooperation, to integrated company groups. Guests may be citizens from nearby cities, tourists from afar, and local residents. For successful operation, service providers have to target the proper market, forge reliable trademark/brand, and sponsor appropriate advertising; and government agencies should strengthen administration, encourage professional organizations, and try to balance the interests of relevant parties.Comparative studies show that China is lagging behind in leisure fishery administration. Especially worthy of our reference are effective administrative devices of the U.S., advanced technology in Japan, developed relevant legislation, notions of environment protection and resource preservation in Europe, etc.China has adequate conditions for leisure fishery. Two decades of preliminary development has established a promising framework and has brought about considerable profits in coastal and inland areas. Effective and efficient measures have to be taken to solve existing problems and to ensure healthy development of leisure fishery.