China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, launched in March 2016, provides a sound policy platform for the protection of marine ecosystems and the restoration of capture fisheries within China’s exclusive economic zone. What distinguishes China among many other countries striving for marine fisheries reform is its size—accounting for almost one-fifth of global catch volume—and the unique cultural context of its economic and resource management. In this paper, we trace the history of Chinese government priorities, policies, and outcomes related to marine fisheries since the 1978 Economic Reform, and examine how the current leadership’s agenda for “ecological civilization” could successfully transform marine resource management in the coming years. We show how China, like many other countries, has experienced a decline in the average trophic level of its capture fisheries during the past few decades, and how its policy design, implementation, and enforcement have influenced the status of its wild fish stocks. To reverse the trend in declining fish stocks, the government is introducing a series of new programs for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, with greater traceability and accountability in marine resource management and area controls on coastal development. As impressive as these new plans are on paper, we conclude that serious institutional reforms will be needed to achieve a true paradigm shift in marine fisheries management in China. In particular, we recommend new institutions for science-based fisheries management, secure fishing access, policy consistency across provinces, educational programs for fisheries managers, and increasing public access to scientific data.

To obtain critical information on distribution and abundance of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) residing in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), systematic line-transect surveys and photo-identification studies were conducted in the eastern and western sections of the estuary in 2005–2006 and 2007–2008, respectively. Dolphins in the eastern section occurred throughout Lingding Bay, whereas their distribution in the western section extended from the mouth of Modaomen to the channel between Shangchuan and Xiachuan islands. Variations in dolphin distribution during the wet and dry seasons were evident and probably associated with movements of their prey species. Photo-identification of individuals confirmed exchange of at least some individuals between the western and eastern sections of PRE, and thus dolphins from both areas almost certainly comprise a single population. Using line-transect analysis, the total population size of the PRE humpback dolphins was estimated to be 2555 during the wet season and 2517 during the dry season. However, these should be considered preliminary as the coefficients of variation in some survey areas were high. Further studies should focus on refining these estimates and working towards understanding the western boundary of the PRE population.