Total allowable catch (TAC) is a key feature of marine fisheries conservation and management for many countries and regional fishery management organizations. The Chinese Fisheries Law, as amended in 2000, establishes TAC as a fundamental part of the national fishery management system. However, due to various factors, it poses great challenges for the Chinese government in terms of implementation. As China entered the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the movement to realize Ecological Civilization—the Chinese government’s term for the interconnectedness between humanity and nature—called for sustainable use of marine fisheries. In response, China launched its fishery management reform plan in 2017. In January of that year, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the Circular of the Ministry of Agriculture on Strengthening Domestic Fishing Vessel Control and Implementing Total Amount Control Over Marine Fishery Resources, proposing to establish a marine fishery resource-management system based on a combination of input and output controls. The circular required coastal provinces or municipalities directly under the central government to launch TAC pilots starting in 2017 and to have at least one pilot by 2020. By November 2020, a total of 15 TAC pilots had been launched.

Progress of China's TAC system evaluation report for Zhejiang and Fujian pilots