Lakshay Arya
“Lalchi Suarynh Rang Garkanh” (‘Greedy Red Wolves’ in Baluchi) – shouted Javed Baloch with his fist clenched, as his face turned red with anger.
Javed is a fisherman from Pishukan village near Gwadar and this was his reaction when asked about Chinese Fishing vessels in the region. this feeling of despondency was evident in other members of his community too. But the fishermen of Balochistan are not the only ones suffering the invasion of their seas by ‘Chinese Dark Fleets’ – every fishing community in the Indian Ocean Region is wrestling for survival, but yes, the worst affected are fishermen from countries entangled in CCP’s debt trap.
As per United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), most waters in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) are either ‘Zones of Continuous Upwelling’ (where fish productivity is high all-round the year) or ‘Zones of Seasonal/Monsoon Upwelling’ (with high fish productivity in a particular season/monsoons). This unique geography makes IOR a fish rich domain with great potential for local fishing communities. But, before the regional players could capitalise this ‘nature’s gift’, China swung into action and unleashed huge fishing trawlers, that have persistently been destroying the marine ecology and along with it, destiny of millions of poor people.
Over months of study, it was found that thousands of fishing vessels that have gradually started dominating the IOR region have been found flying under the Chinese flag. Additionally, armed with massive CCP subsidies and latest fishing technologies, these vessels have been found to indulge in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Supported by a vast and complex network of fuelling ships, support vessels, reefers and fish carriers (with refrigeration/ packaging plants), these ‘dark fleets’ move swiftly through the oceans, wiping out all marine resources in their way, leaving nothing for the traditional fishermen.
It is this well-managed technologically advanced and State supported operation that has forced many local fishermen to leave their ancestral occupation and migrate from coastal areas.
Reasons & Impact of Chinese Dark Fleet on IOR
Studies have shown that over the past few years destructive fishing practices such as seabed trawling, dynamite fishing and poison (cyanide) fishing have led to depletion of fishes in South China Sea (SCS) by almost 95%. Overwhelmed by this and by the voracious demand for sea food in China, the Chinese fleet along with their unhealthy fishing methods, have ventured into other countries resources now are operating worldwide.
In quest to extract maximum fish in least time, these fleets are using same dastardly practices in IOR which had led to destruction of ecology, aquatic life and marine resources in the SCS. Experts also termed the large nets on Chinese vessels as ‘Wall of Death’ for fish, sharks, and marine mammals, and if this practice continues, the region will soon be deficient of species like Tuna, Sword fish, Marlin, shrimps and squids. It is indeed appalling that the vessels banned within China’s own territorial waters for damaging ecosystem are easily permitted in the IOR!
Fishing, which once used to be a profitable livelihood, is becoming unsustainable for the regional fishermen, as most of the times they are reeling empty nets – courtesy Chinese overfishing. The regional fishermen working out of traditional crafts are no match for the Chinese mega trawlers with miles long nets capable of sweeping up virtually every living thing. The sea’s diminishing returns mean plummeting incomes for fishermen and higher food prices for citizens. But now, things have gone beyond unequal survival opportunities.
Of late, these Chinese vessels have resorted to vehemence against local fishermen with reports of attack, physical violence and sinking of vessels by ramming, which have resulted in numerous deaths of innocent local fishermen. Unfortunately, it is poor people like Javed Baloch and their families who are paying for their government’s incompetence and felonious relationship with China.
Dodging Laws with Chinese Characteristics
In 1996, China signed UN Fish Stock Agreement, but never ratified it. In response to WTO’s appeal to check overfishing, CCP Foreign Ministry in 2017 promised capping of FVs to 3000, but even today more than 17000 distant water vessels are operating around the world. These fleets are routinely found violating maritime laws by fishing within EEZ (including territorial waters) of developing countries and when challenged by local authorities/fishing community, they opt for response through violence
Not only is violence an issue but these vessels are known to undertake imperceptive hunting of endangered marine species like sharks, sawfish, tuna, turtles and manta rays. A gruesome example of this was in 2017 when the Chinese trawler Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was found carrying 6000 frozen shark carcasses and many endangered species by Ecuador.
Additionally conforming to furtive Chinese maritime culture, these vessels keep their transponders off, falsify licenses and documentation, hide their identity/nationality/flag/registration while operating. Numerous cases of human right abuse, murders, sexual crimes onboard these vessels, incidents of maritime pollution, use of dangerous/ banned fishing techniques and even spying on other nations have been reported, but these boats are well protected by the Chinese government and well versed with law and therefore able to utilize loopholes in the existing legal framework to escape.
Which is why without a whole scale structural change by China and changes within the system of global governance of oceans, these trawlers will continue to exploit our seas. There is an urgent need for the IOR nations to collaborate under a comprehensive cooperative security mechanism to deter these fleets from their blatant unlawful activities. Because without cooperative efforts, the ‘Greedy Red Wolves’ will continue to ransack our waters indiscriminately, turning IOR into a barren, resourceless ocean like the South China Sea.
