A fisherman carries seafood ashore. [Photo by Zou Cailin/Guangxi Daily]

On Aug 16, the three-and-a-half-month summer fishing ban in the South China Sea came to an end, and the Beibu Gulf Fishing Festival was held in Fangchenggang. That day, over 7,300 fishing vessels set sail from traditional fishing ports such as Qisha, Dianjian, and Longmen, marking the opening of the fishing season in the Beibu Gulf.

At Qisha Fishing Port's Pier 1, the catch mainly consisted of shrimp, including a large quantity of mantis shrimp, white shrimp, and prawns. The proportion of flower crabs, razorfish, and yellow croakers was also relatively high.

With the first wave of seafood landing on Aug 17, market prices have already begun to decline. Following the start of fishing season, the price of high-quality flower crabs dropped from 160 yuan ($22) per kilogram to 96 yuan, almost halving.

Larger mantis shrimp (also known as prawns) have decreased in price from 180 yuan per kilogram to 130 yuan, while smaller ones have dropped from 100 yuan per kilogram to 70 yuan. Additionally, the price of sardines has decreased from 100 yuan per kilogram to 70 yuan.

Mantis shrimp caught from the sea. [Photo by You Yongjun/Guangxi Daily]