A view of the Yushan Islands, about 27 nautical miles southeast of Shipu town in Xiangshan county, Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province has issued a marine environmental protection plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), aiming to improve marine environmental quality and modernize governance by 2030.

The plan sets 15 indicators across six areas and outlines 31 tasks in eight fields. Priorities include improving bays, protecting marine biodiversity, supporting low-carbon development, and expanding public access to the coast.

Hangzhou Bay, Yueqing Bay, Sanmen Bay, and Xiangshan Harbor will be priorities for coastal environmental restoration, with water quality improvement requirements incorporated into the targets.

Zhejiang will also upgrade its Blue Circle marine plastic waste management program. Plans include establishing traceability standards and a certification system for marine plastics, forming a "blue factory" alliance, and improving monitoring at coastal bathing areas.

The province has deployed and connected 27 automatic seawater monitoring buoy stations this year, bringing the total to 33 and covering all 31 bays. The network will work alongside satellite remote sensing, drones, and elevated video monitoring systems to strengthen marine environmental monitoring.