[Video/Xinhua]    

Fishermen in Daqin Island of Changdao county in Yantai, East China's Shandong province are busy harvesting kelps, a large brown seaweed that typically has a long, tough stalk with a broad frond divided into strips.

Now, roughly 867 hectares of kelp farms have entered the harvest season in the area. Local fishermen are usually occupied with their summer harvest between May and August.

With years of development, the sea plant has become a pillar industry of the local marine economy. In 2018, fresh kelps harvested around Daqin Island amounted to 182,000 tons, among which 18,000 tons were made into dry kelps, with a total output value of 150 million yuan ($21.68 million).

Daqin Island is the farthest town from the mainland in Shandong province, which is located in the northern part of Changdao county and borders the Bohai Sea in the west and the Yellow Sea in the east.

An aerial photo taken on May 23 shows kelp farms near the coast of Daqin Island in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

An aerial photo taken on May 23 shows kelps being left to dry on a beach on Daqin Island of Changdao county in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Fishing boats are filled with harvested kelps on May 24 in Daqin Island of Changdao county in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]