Sea resources protected
tion teams, Fang Jianmeng, deputy director of the administration, told a news conference on Sunday.
Inspectors will focus on provincial authorities’ implementation of policies and plans made by the central government, he said.
Fang added that inspectors will check the 11 provinciallevel regions of the Chinese mainland that have coastlines, including Liaoning, Shandong and Shanghai, on a regular basis.
Gao Zhongwen, the administration’s spokesman, said that opinions and suggestions were solicited from the 11 regions and seven central departments, such as the Environmental Protection Ministry, before the guidelines were established.
According to Gu Wu, deputy head of the oceanic admin- istration’s legislation and island management department, members of the public are encouraged to supervise inspectors and local authorities, and may give tipoffs to inspectors.
An expert at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, Shandong province, who asked not to be named, said that with the rapid development of coastal areas, some regions placing a high priority on economic growth driven by the exploitation of marine resources have unknowingly or intentionally neglected protection.
“Therefore, the introduction of a high-level inspection mechanism will help extensively with environmental protection and restoration, and crack down on irregular or illegal exploitation,” he said.