China’s prawn catch once reached 40,000 tonnes a year, but recent surveys put the figure at only 7,000 tonnes. In the 1970s, most Chinese seerfish caught were three years old. By the 1990s, they were two years old and today they are only one year old. According to a report by Weihai fishery authorities, in the first quarter of 2012, some 80% of boats were tied up in port at any one time – at times, 90%. This is more than in any other year, and fishermen are now more likely to stop fishing before the end of the season.