The Bei Dou project
In 1984 Norway gave away a research vessel, the “Bei Dou”, to China. This was the start of the still ongoing Bei Dou project.
The vessel belongs to the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI) in Qingdao, the Shandong Province. The vessel is a modern and well-equipped fisheries research vessel, the only specialised vessel for fishery investigations in China and therefore used as a national research vessel in all parts of Chinese waters.
Before the vessel was delivered, Chinese crew and scientists were trained in Norway, learning how to operate the vessel.
The content of the Bei Dou project has changed over the years from introducing modern methods for investigating fish abundance to fishery management in exclusive, foreign and international economical zones. Utilization of anchovy in marine products has also been investigated, including a small scale ensilage factory.
Several Chinese scientists from YSFRI and other institutions have fulfilled their education and degrees at the University of Bergen.
The present project is including:
- fishery statistics
- fishery management
- stock assessment including setting fish quotas
- quality control and food security
- fish and shellfish health in aquaculture
- impact of the environment by aquaculture
The present part of the project will last through 2005 and has a budget of about NOK 2 mill per year.
The project is a co-operation between The Ministry of Agriculture of China and NORAD with the Bureau of Fisheries in Bejing as the Chinese partner and the Institute of Marine Research, the Fisheries Directorate, and the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research as the main Norwegian partners.
