Preparations are made to release fish into the sea in Lyusi Port in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, in Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

More than 4.7 million fish were released into the sea off Lyusi Port in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, in Jiangsu province, on June 13, in the presence of officials from the Nantong Notary Office. 

This was not the first time that Qidong authorities have released huge numbers of fish into the sea there. In recent years, it has been estimated that more than 15 million fish have been freed there – with the goal of helping to clean the water and increase local fishing stocks, officials said. 

Officials said that a total of 12 such fish release activities will take place this year. 

Categories of fish that were released in the Lyusi Port waters have included large yellow croakers, spotted maigres and cynoglossus semilaevises. Blue crabs have also been released. The species released on this occasion was black sea bream, officials added. 

Located 90 kilometers from Shanghai, Lyusi Port is one of six national-level fishing ports, a designation it was awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2002. 

Officials said the first phase of a 42 km navigation channel construction project has now been completed. The port is now capable of providing berths for more than sixty 100,000 ton vessels. 

Lyusi Port is expected to play a pivotal role in developing the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

More than 4.7 million fish are freed into the sea in Lyusi Port in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, in Jiangsu province, on June 13, in the presence of officials from the Nantong Notary Office. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

The fish are gathered before being into the sea. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

A aerial view of Qidong’s Lyusi Port shows the extent of its transformation – from a small fishing port into a major deep-water coastal port -- after decades of development. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]