Based on the connotation of the intensity of marine resources consumption, this paper measures the intensity of marine resources consumption in China’s coastal provinces from 1996 to 2015, reveals its spatio-temporal evolution characteristics, establishes a factor decomposition model by using the improved logarithmic mean Di exponential decomposition (LMDI), analyzes the factor contribution of changes in the intensity of marine resources consumption in China, and compares the differences. The results show that: (1) from 1996 to 2015, the overall consumption intensity of China’s marine resources increased first and then decreased steadily, and the consumption intensity of resources in the primary industry decreased steadily, ranking second. The resource consumption intensity of the tertiary industry is basically synchronized with the change trend of China’s marine resource consumption intensity; in the evolution of spatial pattern, the provinces with medium and high intensity of marine resource consumption gradually reduce, while the provinces with low intensity provinces gradually increase, and the regional differences gradually narrow. (2) The contribution rates of technological progress effect, industrial structure effect and regional scale effect to the decline of China’s marine resource consumption intensity are 78.224%, 18.334% and 3.442%, respectively; there are significant differences in factor decomposition effects among coastal provinces, among which Fujian is dominated by technological progress effect, Zhejiang, Shandong and Hainan are dominated by technological progress effect and regional scale effect, Tianjin, Hebei and Jiangsu are dominated by technological progress effect and industrial structure effect, while Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangdong and Guangxi are jointly driven by technological progress effect, industrial structure effect and regional scale effect to reduce the intensity of marine resource consumption. (3) From the perspective of the three marine industries, the effect of technological progress is the largest contribution within the secondary industry, accounting for 77.118% in total; the industrial structure effect has the largest contribution within the primary industry, accounting for 314.547% in total. There is no significant difference in regional scale effect among the three industries. Different provinces and regions should pay different attention to the implementation of technologies or measures for the intensive utilization of resources in the three marine industries.

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