Frozen sea damages fish farms

It's the freezing north, where the cold air has sealed northern China's Bohai gulf. The local shell fish farmers are unhappy because the sea ice has come too early this year.

44 nautical miles off the Bohai Bay, all sealed under ice. 160 ships have been frozen in the ice. Yet what's more worrying to the locals are the large amount of shell fish under the ice.

In the coastal city Yingkou, some farmers have lost hope for this year's shell fish harvest.

Cui Jiajun, shellfish farm owner, Yingkou, Liaoning Province, said,"It's too cold this year. My shell fish in the area will die. Sixty percent of them are under ice. They won't be able to breath."

The situation is no better in the neighbouring Laizhou Bay. 10 centimetres of ice has sealed a port, stretching 10 kilometres into the deep of the gulf. For the local fishermen, business has stopped. Ship owner Yi Bo says he has not gone out fishing for over 10 days.

Yi Bo, fisherman, Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, said,"The sea has been frozen. I let my employees off for safety reasons. The sea ice could break the wood structure of the ship, and that happens every year."

His neighbour Zhou Lianping is also worried about the ice. His shell fish, scattered over one and half hectares in the sea, is still in the water.

Zhou Lianping, shellfish farm owner, Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, said,"The ice has come too early, much earlier than previous years. I can't get the shell fish out of the water. The ice is not melting, yet I still have to pay the workers. I am worried."

And the worst is yet to come. The Bohai Bay will see the most ice in mid January as the ice sealed area is expected to grow. Marine surveillance patrol has been keeping a close eye on the development of the ice.