China syndromeIs China’s Fishing Fleet a Growing Security Threat?
China’s distant-water fishing vessels have long caused controversy in waters around Asia. As the fleet has grown, so have complaints. Experts say that Chinese illegal fishing is not only used by Beijing to stake maritime claims, the fleet’s massive overfishing helps drive food insecurity and ecological problems.
China says it has banned its massive fishing fleet from catching squid in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for three months to help populations recover, after environmental groups warned the country’s illegal fishing activities are devastating ecologically sensitive areas such as the Galapagos Islands.
According to China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural affairs, the moratorium bans all Chinese fishing fleets on parts of the high seas in southwest Atlantic and east Pacific for three months, effective July 1st.
China’s state media Global Times said the move promotes long-term sustainable use of fishery resources in open waters, and “highlights China’s image as a responsible fishing power and is a milestone for China’s participation in international maritime management.”
Experts who spoke to VOA say that Chinese illegal fishing is not only used by Beijing to stake maritime claims, the fleet’s massive overfishing helps drive food insecurity and ecological problems.
Largest Distant Water Fleet
China’s distant-water fishing vessels have long caused controversy in waters around Asia. As the fleet has grown, so have complaints. Recently, about 340 large Chinese trawlers ventured into waters near Ecuador, triggering protests over possible threats to the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to many unique species.
There are also ongoing conflicts involving Chinese fishing vessels in waters off Africa and the Korean Peninsula.
Miren Gutierrez, a research Associate at the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI), told VOA that China now has the largest distant water fleet in the world, and it’s on the move.
“Having depleted fish stocks in domestic waters and encouraged by subsidies, China’s distant-water fishing fleets have been traveling farther and farther afield, and its companies have been building more and more vessels to meet the rising demand for seafood,” she said.
ODI research has documented nearly 17,000 Chinese fishing vessels, making it nearly impossible to sufficiently monitor all of them worldwide.
Security, Environmental Concerns
Analysts say many Chinese vessels conduct “illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)” fishing activities that threaten the sovereignty of other nations and endanger the global food security chain.
According to the 2019 IUU index created by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, China among 152 countries in illegal finishing activities.
In waters around East Asian countries, China has been using fishing to bolster its territorial claims. Countries including Japan, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia have reacted strongly to China’s illegal fishing activities in the disputed waters.
