More than 3,000 fishing vessels set sail from Shenjiamen Port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, for the East China Sea at noon of Aug 1. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

More than 3,000 fishing vessels set sail from Shenjiamen Port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, for the East China Sea at the noon of Aug 1 as a three-month summer fishing moratorium drew to a close. 

Local residents can expect to tuck into a variety of fresh seafood within days, according to local fishermen.

More seafood is expected after Sept 16 when this year's summer fishing moratorium in the East China Sea will come to a complete end, according to local fishery authorities.

China started to implement an annual summer fishing moratorium in 1995 in the East China Sea，Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, to preserve fishery resources and protect the ocean's ecology. The moratorium was extended to cover the South China Sea in 1999.