Fishermen landing crabs at a fishing port in Zhoushan @NRDC 

To promote sustainable and equitable fisheries management in China, the Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute and NRDC co-hosted the International Workshop on Cooperative Management and Sustainable Fisheries on April 10 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province. This workshop, supported by the Bureau of Fisheries (BOF) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), featured insightful keynotes on challenges and opportunities in the sector from the BOF's Division Director and the Deputy Director of MARA's Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement Service Center. The workshop drew over 100 stakeholders from government, academia, and environmental organizations. Leading Chinese and foreign experts shared strategies and lessons from fishing cooperatives in the US, the EU, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, and China, underscoring the importance of community involvement, empowerment, and capacity building in co-managing fisheries. The discussions produced actionable recommendations for building and strengthening fishing organizations in China, which are expected to drive a multi-disciplinary approach to achieving environmental and economic sustainability in fisheries management. This event also marks the beginning of a BOF-NRDC collaborative project aimed at enhancing stakeholder partnerships in fisheries management.