Sea fishing thrills anglers

Anglers show off their catches. Photos by Wang Zijian

For most Shenzhen residents, their memories of the city as a fishing village are now distant or nonexistent. However, fishing is still a popular pursuit, especially among urbanites who need a break from their daily struggles.

Shenzhen, covering a vast sea area spanning 1,145 square kilometers and a 260-kilometer coastline, is abundant in aquatic resources including a wide host of fish species.

According to a report in the Daily Sunshine, there are over 500,000 fishing enthusiasts in Shenzhen, who have found excitement in casting their lines in the deep blue waters.

One resident named Xu Bo got totally hooked on fishing. Xu, an electronics information teacher, spoke eloquently and vividly when sharing his adventures on the water, as well as the knowledge and experience he learned from this hobby over the past 10 years.

During his first fishing trip on the sea in Shenzhen, Xu was the only one aboard the boat who had a big catch. The thrill he felt on that first catch inspired him to shift from freshwater to sea fishing.

For Xu, fishing is not only entertaining, but fun. It is also a skill to learn. Climate, weather and tides significantly impact fish’s behavior, as well as the success of a fishing season.

Xu spent time researching the influence weather has on fish he was targeting. He also learned about the difference in fish’s behavior, habitats and diets.

“It is not true that fish can be found everywhere. On the contrary, not many fish is found in the offshore waters of Shenzhen,” Xu told the Daily Sunshine. He added that a successful angler demands skills and patience, but also luck.

Before Xu goes fishing, he would check detailed weather information online, such as tides, sunrise and sunset to increase his likelihood to catch fish.

Among his winning catches, he has caught groupers (epinephelinae), grey breams (acanthopagrus latus), longfinned bullseyes (cookeolus japonicus), and yellow and green-colored bigfin reef squids (sepioteuthis lessoniana).

While he enjoys his fishing trips, Xu has devoted time to promote this activity among his students by setting up courses on sea fishing and diving on campus.

“Sea fishing is a hobby that’s embedded in my DNA,” he said.

To further promote the rational development and sustainable use of the sea, Shenzhen has set up a “sea area pollution prevention” section in its ecological and environmental protection rules, which were released July 6.