Thousands of fishing vessels from Yantai set sail after the fishing ban is lifted. [Photo/VCG]

The four-month summer fishing ban in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea areas concluded at noon on Sept 1, when thousands of fishing vessels from Yantai headed out to sea in hopes of a bountiful catch.

After several hours, the boats returned to the harbor laden with their rich harvest. The fishermen brought live seafood such as fish, crabs, shrimp, and scallops ashore, while eager residents gathered around to purchase the fresh seafood.

A diverse seafood platter. [Photo/VCG]

In Yantai, known as the "Culinary Capital of Shandong", seafood is prepared in a myriad of ways, with popular dishes including seafood platters, aromatic rice served with Urechis unicinctus, dumplings stuffed with Spanish mackerel, and Penglai Noodles topped with seafood.

Since 1995, China has progressively implemented comprehensive summer fishing bans in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, and South China Sea, extending from two months initially to three and a half months and then to four and a half months. These measures have allowed marine fishery resources to fully recover.