With the South China Sea's summer moratorium lifted, fishing boats resumed operations, departing in sequence from ports across Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi at the appointed hour.

The ban runs from early May to mid-August. The purpose is to halt fishing while species spawn and juveniles grow, allowing stocks to recover. Its duration and the gear types it covers are set differently by sea area.

There is a long record on its effects. A rise in catch immediately after the ban lifts is commonly observed. Annual totals and shifts in species composition, however, are not explained by the moratorium alone: fleet size, gear regulation and environmental change all bear on them.

Prices move as soon as the fleets return. A sudden supply increase pushes down wholesale prices for fresh fish and shellfish and speeds turnover in frozen and processed stock. The effect reaches seafood distribution in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese commercial districts across Southeast Asia with a lag.

The first week out is also when safety oversight concentrates. Summer weather shifts quickly, and after a long stretch at anchor, equipment checks take on added importance.

The lifting date shifts slightly each year to reflect stock conditions and weather, so for fishers it is the annually published schedule, not the general rule, that anchors operational planning.