The transfer is required under a fishing pact signed by China and Viet Nam, which borders Beibu Bay.

Chen Zhonglin, an official with the provincial fisheries department, said: "We should take concrete action to honor the pact as soon as possible."

While the agreement was signed in 2000, it has not taken effect because of differences over how many vessels should be allowed to fish in the shared waters, Chen said.

The provincial government planned to transfer 12,806 fishermen from nine counties to other industries from 2002-06. During this period, 570 fishing boats would be removed from the fishery every year.

Chen said local governments should help offshore fishermen turn to aquaculture, set up processing plants and move into non-fishing sectors.

Wang Huifang, who also works with the provincial fishery department, said China and Viet Nam concluded years of negotiations on border and fishing rights in Beibu Bay with the signing of three agreements in December 2000.

Wang said the agreements (The Delineation of Marine Territory, Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf in Beibu Bay and the Agreement on Fishery Cooperation in Beibu Bay) reflect the commitment of both sides to good neighborly relations and cooperation.

Beibu Bay is a semi-enclosed bay surrounded by territories belonging to China and Viet Nam.

China has also signed similar fishing agreements with Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Under rules enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China signed in 1996, all coastal nations are allowed jurisdiction over resources up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from their shores. China shares seas with all of the three countries, but there is less than 400 nautical miles between them.

Implementation of the three fishing agreements has reduced China's fishing area, driving thousands of fishermen off their traditional trawling grounds, said Ma Weijun, an official with the Fisheries Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ma said the government had pledged 270 million yuan (US$32.5 million) a year to remove the boats from the country's fishing fleet and transfer at least 300,000 affected fishermen to other jobs.

And the nation will take 6,000 fishing boats out of operation each year for up to five years and transfer 60,000 offshore fishermen to new jobs, Ma said.

(China Daily March 5, 2003)