China to pause squid fishing in Pacific, Atlantic breeding grounds

China's fishing industry employs more than 14 million people, and another 30 million rely on it for their livelihood. - Reuters

BEIJING (AFP): China has announced a temporary ban on its fishing fleet -- the world's biggest -- from catching squid in parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans after overfishing pushed populations to the brink of collapse.

China reels in as much as 70 per cent of the global squid catch, and its vessels sail as far as West Africa and Latin America to sate the growing appetite for seafood in the country.