China has one of the world's largest marine fisheries, but it is also widely considered to be data-limited. Although this is generally recognized, there is still little information on how limited the available data are, how data limitation differs among fisheries and regions, and how it influences stock assessment in China. As a result, it remains unclear how data availability constrains stock assessment practices and where future efforts in data collection and capacity building should be prioritized. This study aims to better understand data limitation in Chinese marine fisheries by combining expert knowledge with evidence from published studies. First, we conducted a nationwide survey of fisheries scientists and practitioners to evaluate data availability, data quality, and research and management capacity across different fisheries and marine regions. Second, we reviewed stock assessment studies published by Chinese institutions between 2010 and 2025. We summarized publication trends, study regions, data types, and assessment methods, and compared these results with expert opinions to examine how data availability influences the choice of assessment methods. Our preliminary analyses suggest that data limitation varies considerably among different marine regions in China. They also show clear differences in the types of data available and the stock assessment methods that are commonly applied. By combining expert survey results with evidence from the literature, this study provides a broader picture of the current status of fisheries data in China and their influence on stock assessment.The findings will help identify priorities for future data collection, data reconstruction, and stock assessment, and may also provide a useful framework for evaluating data limitation in other data-limited fisheries.