Greening China’s Fish and Fish Products Market Supply Chains

The report analyzes the sustainability of China's role as a global leader in seafood production and processing, focusing on tilapia, cod, and live reef food fish (LRFF). It identifies critical gaps in traceability, the prevalence of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the environmental impacts of intensive aquaculture. The document recommends that China establish a national traceability system, adopt international sustainability certifications, and develop a long-term trade policy that aligns with the 12th Five Year Plan's goals for a low-carbon, green economy.

• China is the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter of seafood, making it a pivotal link in the sustainability of global fish supply chains.
• The tilapia industry in China has seen rapid growth, with production increasing by an annual average of 13.4 per cent over ten years, and China accounting for 40 per cent of global production in 2008.
• Tilapia is considered a lower energy-intensive species compared to others; producing one kilogram of tilapia likely saves over 40 per cent of the energy required for salmon and over 30 per cent compared to catfish.
• China's cod processing industry is heavily dependent on imports, with Russia supplying 65–85 per cent of the total supply, and the EU receiving 52 per cent of its frozen cod fillets from China.
• Traceability in the cod supply chain is compromised by the lack of species-specific commodity codes in China, leading to the misclassification of species like Alaska pollock or hoki as cod.
• The Live Reef Food Fish Trade (LRFFT) is characterized by a "boom-to-bust" pattern, where stocks are systematically depleted in one area before the trade moves to new fishing grounds.
• The humphead wrasse, a high-value species in the LRFFT, is subject to extensive IUU fishing, with reports of imports into mainland China occurring without CITES authorization.
• In the LRFFT, the use of cyanide for capture causes significant collateral damage to coral reefs and non-target species.
• The report identifies 17 sustainability criteria across ecological, economic, and social themes to assess aquatic supply chains, focusing on outcomes rather than management inputs.
• China's fisheries sector contributes 1.06 per cent of the total national GDP, with aquaculture accounting for 64 per cent of total fisheries output in 2008.

APA

Streicher-Porte, M., Althaus, H. J., Hanson, A., Cui, H., Zou, L., Clarke, S., Muldoon, G., Potts, J., & Zhang, H. (2011). Greening China’s Fish and Fish Products Market Supply Chains. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/greening_china_fish_en.pdf

Chicago

Streicher-Porte, Martin, Hans Jörg Althaus, Arthur Hanson, He Cui, Linlin Zou, Shelley Clarke, Geoffrey Muldoon, Jason Potts, and Huihui Zhang. Greening China’s Fish and Fish Products Market Supply Chains. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/greening_china_fish_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{streicherporte2011greening, author = {Streicher-Porte, Martin and Althaus, Hans Jörg and Hanson, Arthur and Cui, He and Zou, Linlin and Clarke, Shelley and Muldoon, Geoffrey and Potts, Jason and Zhang, Huihui}, title = {{Greening China’s Fish and Fish Products Market Supply Chains}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/greening_china_fish_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }