News 06 Aug, 2020 China - Fish Farm Incidents Emma Forbes-Gearey Loss Prevention Officer China is one of the world’s largest consumers and producers of fish and over the last 25 years the number of fish farms has increased exponentially. As a result of the increased number and density in Chinese waters, fish farms pose an increasing risk and the danger to vessels navigating these waters is reflected in an increased number of incidents being reported to the Club.   Download PDF Fish farm arrangement These farms are set up so that their nets are in ‘culture lines’ which go against the current. They are designed to cultivate mussels, oysters or fish. The farms are widespread, with each farm divided into a number of smaller areas and each area covering more than 1000m in length and 500m in width. A typical image is presented to the left: the items that float on top of the water are either buoys or empty bottles to mark where the nets are. Local fish farm information China based P&I correspondents handle dozens of fish farm claims every year, with most of the incidents entailing damage to the netting arrangements of the farm. Of particular concern are the areas off the coast of Lanshan and Rizhao, where oyster and mussel cultivation is prolific. In recent years contact damage incidents near Lanshan have been particularly numerous. These incidents have predominantly affected new fisheries without obvious markings. Additionally, other fish farms that did have markings but were not identified on the Chinese charts have been involved. Reasons why collisions happen with fish farms There are two primary reasons for these types of recurring incidents; firstly, vessels may not be able to avoid entering fish farms and, secondly, mariners do not have up to-date information on the location of these farms to integrate into the passage plan. Possible reasons why vessels might be unable to avoid these farms include: The bridge team may not be able to see the boundaries o