BY SOMA RAI
Recently, China has been drawing strong adverse reactions from most of the countries for excessive and indiscriminate exploitation of sea-based resources in the name of carrying out fishing. China claims that DWF is an important part of its official “going out” strategy, and the same has been elaborated in China’s 2001–2005 Tenth Five-Year Plan. However, China’s Distant Water Fleet (DWF), which has ventured out beyond its immediate seas into the three oceans, has been largely violating bi-/ multi-lateral agreements and engaging in rampant Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
China follows the concept of “grabbing the high seas and EEZs with two hands”. The tenth report sees expanding DWF as a way to guard China’s ocean interests and seek international space for development since it believes that more international space China has, the more resources and benefits it can obtain. Accordingly, it has taken undue advantage of the provision of UNCLOS, which stipulates that ‘through agreements or other arrangements, a coastal state can give other States access to the surplus of the allowable catch’. China has been signing fisheries access agreements with countries that do not have capabilities to venture into deep sea for fishing activities. This has allowed Chinese DWF fleets to fish in the EEZs of other host countries to its advantage.
According to a study, Chinese vessels have been reported in 93 countries including Antarctica. China’s Distant Water Fishing (DWF) fleet reportedly comprises over 18,000 vessels registered both in China and other various flags of convenience. In Africa, DWF has depleted fisheries resources through overfishing, misreported catches and landings, fishing in illegal areas, trans-shipped catch at sea, or using inappropriate methods or gear (e.g., trawling or illegal mesh sizes). The host countries are afraid of cracking down on illegal fishing because it may jeopardize other developmental and aid projects contributed by the Chinese. Chinese DWF also poses dangers to consumers since these vessels often do not comply with hygiene standards. Many illegal fishing boats of Chinese origin or with Chinese crew have been captured off the coast of African countries. The reputation of Chinese fishing companies has invited similar criticism from South Korea which accused the Chinese vessels of IUU operations in their waters.
China’s fish trade (including products imported into China and processed for export) has also invited scrutiny over ‘transparency and traceability’ of supply chains which involve clarity on origins, certification for no-illegal trans-shipments at sea, details of landing and ‘transit between countries for various stages of processing’. There are also instances of Chinese fishermen using explosives for catching fish and causing irreparable damage to marine ecology and food chain. These unsustainable destructive fishing practices adopted by the Chinese distant water fishing companies is disturbing the good world order and maritime governance. These operations have deep economic, environmental and social impact on the local fishermen who loose livelihoods. Also, there are visible signs of destruction of the ecologically fragile ocean environment.
It is quite clear that there are huge concerns worldwide over the Chinese IUU fishing activities. China needs to read the ‘tea leaves’ well, and work towards more sustainable exploitation of these resources. It needs to rein in its distant water fishing companies so that they do not engage in illegal/ wrong practices. It needs to support the international efforts to stop IUU fishing on the high seas, ensure transparency of catch, adhere to legal and environmental friendly fishing activities, and avoid illegal ‘at-sea trans-shipment’. Also, it needs to sign the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (PSMA) and provide data on Chinese high- seas fishing vessels and their activities.
Many states look to the seas as a major source of food and other resources. They also see the sea as a key to social development and job creation in the form of Blue Economy. Given these trends, IUU fishing by Chinese companies requires greater attention by the world.
