An investigation of large-size light falling-net fishing vessels operating in South China Sea based on Beidou VMS data

Beidou vessel monitoring system (VMS), which monitors fishing operations of vessels by vessel position characteristics, can provide scientific references for the development and management of fishery. We explored the large-size light falling-net fishery in the South China Sea based on VMS data in 2018. Beidou VMS obtained a total of 8 821 681 records of 121 vessels from Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Provinces, with an average of 406 records per vessel per day. There is a difference in the frequency of Beidou VMS transmission among the vessels from different provinces, and VMS signals were more frequently transmitted when a vessel was operating in the open South China Sea than when it was fishing along the coast. The vessels mainly operated fishing in the Nansha Islands in spring, off the Pearl River Estuary in summer, and in the Beibu Gulf and Zhongsha and Xisha Islands waters in autumn and winter. In 2018, the vessels operated 19 986 fishing days in the South China Sea, decreasing from 7 768 d (38.87%) in spring, 4 738 d (23.71%) in autumn, 4 406 d (22.05%) in winter to 3 074 d (15.38%) in summer. Moreover, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Beidou VMS in monitoring the large-size light falling-net vessels. It is showed that using Beidou VMS to study the large-scale light falling-net vessel in the South China Sea can monitor their spatial distribution and dynamic changes quickly and comprehensively.