Editing Yellow Sea (section)

==Economy==
[[File:PopulationDensityYellowSea.png|thumb|A map of population density around the Yellow Sea in [[East Asia]] (1994)<ref name=pop>[http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=116 Population Density] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722043335/http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=116 |date=22 July 2010 }}, NASA, 1994</ref>]]
The coasts of the Yellow Sea are very densely populated, at approximately {{convert|250|PD/km2|sp=us}}.<ref name=pop/> The sea waters had been used for fishing by the Chinese, Korean and Japanese ships for centuries. The bottom layers are especially rich in fish with about 200 fish species exploited commercially, especially [[Sparidae|sea bream]], [[Sciaenidae|croaker]]s, [[Synodontidae|lizard fishes]], [[prawn]]s, [[cutlassfish]], [[Japanese horse mackerel|horse mackerel]], squid, [[eel]], [[filefish]], [[Pacific herring]], [[chub mackerel]], [[flounder]]<ref>Chikuni, p. 25</ref> and jellyfish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asiatimes.com/article/chinas-jellyfish-hauling-mules-dying-breed/|title=China's jellyfish-hauling mules a dying breed|last=AFP|first=Agence France-Presse|date=22 November 2016|website=www.atimes.com|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref> The intensity of fishing has been gradually increasing for China and Korea and decreasing for Japan. For example, the production volumes for China rose from 619,000 tonnes in 1985 to 1,984,400 tonnes in 1996.<ref>[http://www.lib.noaa.gov/retiredsites/china/fishing.htm Fishing Industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527120320/http://www.lib.noaa.gov/retiredsites/china/fishing.htm |date=27 May 2010 }}, noaa.gov</ref> All species are overfished, however, and while the total catchments are rising, the fish population is continuously declining for most species.<ref name=brit/><ref>Chikuni, pp. 37, 47, 55</ref>

Navigation is another traditional activity in the Yellow Sea. The main Chinese ports are [[Dalian]], [[Tianjin]], [[Qingdao]] and [[Qinhuangdao]]. The major South Korean ports on the Yellow Sea are [[Incheon]], [[Gunsan]] and [[Mokpo]], and that for North Korea is [[Nampho]], the outport of [[Pyongyang]]. The [[Bohai Train Ferry]] provides a shortcut between the [[Liaodong Peninsula]] and [[Shandong]].<ref name=brit/> A major naval accident occurred on 24 November 1999 at [[Yantai]], [[Shandong]], China when the 9,000-ton Chinese ferry ''Dashun'' caught fire and capsized in rough seas. About 300 people were killed, making it the worst maritime incident in China.<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ferry-sinks-in-yellow-sea-killing-hundreds Ferry sinks in Yellow Sea, killing hundreds], 24 November 1999</ref>

Oil exploration has been successful in the Chinese and North Korean portions of the sea, with the proven and estimated reserves of about 9 and 20 billion tonnes, respectively.<ref>[http://newsru.com/finance/03may2007/bohajvan.html China found new large oil field in the Yellow Sea], News.ru, 3 May 2007 (in Russian)</ref> However, the study and exploration of the sea is somewhat hindered by insufficient sharing of information between the involved countries. China initiated collaborations with foreign oil companies in 1979, but this initiative declined later.<ref name=brit/>

A major oil spill occurred on 16 July 2010 when a pipeline exploded at the north-east port of [[Dalian]], causing a wide-scale fire and spreading about 1,500 tonnes of oil over the sea area of {{convert|430|km2|abbr=on}}. The port had been closed and fishing suspended until the end of August. Eight hundred fishing boats and 40 specialized vessels were mobilized to relieve the environmental damage.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/21/china-oil-spill-disaster-wildlife China's worst-ever oil spill threatens wildlife as volunteers assist in clean-up], Guardian, 21 July 2010</ref>