The local government will build a fishery harbor on Changxing Island that will encompass 800 meters of shoreline by 2014, a local official said at a press conference Tuesday.

Authorities hope that the fishery can promote tourism and boost economic development on the island, much of which remains undeveloped.

The core area of the harbor is already under construction. So far, workers have already completed construction on two piers for deep-sea fishing boats and nine piers for the inshore fishing boats, said Jiang Yaxin, director of the Shanghai Changxing Island Development and Construction Administration Committee Office.

The local government plans to build a 27,000-square-meter seafood trading center.

Jiang said the project will help develop the island's fishing industry. 

Changxing Island is the closest of a trio of islands located in northeastern Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The island's economy is primarily made up of agriculture and fishing.

The project will also help promote the island as a tourist destination. Currently, many local residents travel to Ningbo or Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province in the summer to eat fresh seafood, Jiang said. The project will give them another option that is more convenient for local residents. He pointed out that it takes 45 minutes by highway to drive to Changxing Island from People's Square.

Global Times