By Han Yang, Research Department of Rural Economy; Feng Wenmeng, Research Department of Social Development; Liu Zifei, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences

Research Report, No.321, 2020 (Total 6065) 2020-12-31

Abstract: Safeguarding the social security rights and interests of the fishermen who quit fishing in the Yangtze River, such as raising their old-age security level to compensate their fishing rights, is an important settlement and security policy after the implementation of Fishing Ban and Reduction. At present, governments along the Yangtze River have attached great importance to the implementation of the old-age insurance policy for these fishermen. Some areas have taken proper measures and yielded certain good results. But in some other areas, fishermen are still not fully covered with social insurance, the standard of insurance subsidy is low, and the level of insurance varies greatly due to different standards or methods among different regions. This paper holds that ensuring the long-term livelihood of the fishermen who quit fishing has to be the goal after the ban and reduction of fishing. Related governments need to focus on the basic concerns of these fishermen, enhance the publicity of pension insurance, and increase the insurance coverage for them. Their old-age social security needs to be improved properly in light of the local policies for farmers whose land were expropriated. In accordance to the regional economic development, the benefits of old-age security policy for the fishermen who quit fishing after the fishing ban need to be coordinated and balanced.

Keywords: old-age security, long-term livelihood, fishermen, fishing ban and reduction, Yangtze River basin