|
| 
Published Thursday, December 17, 2020
Illegal fishing threatens the economy,
environment and security, report says
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Illegal fishing poses a severe threat to the economies, environment and security of Pacific Rim nations, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and research organizations report.
The report titled, “Illuminating Dark Fishing Fleets in North Korea,” authored by the Washington-based scientific research center Global Fishing Watch and a group of international research organizations highlights the risks of illegal fishing in the Pacific Rim, so-called "dark fleets".
These “dark fleets” are vessels that do not publicly broadcast their location, a common indicator that they are engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Global Fishing Watch said.
The organization used satellite technologies to track fishing by Chinese vessels in North Korean waters, fishing likely in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to Share America, the U.S. Department of State’s platform for communication.
The report also notes that from 2017 to 2018, some 1,600 Chinese vessels caught almost as much Pacific flying squid as Japan and South Korea combined, more than 160,000 metric tons, worth over $440 million.
The United States warns that the People’s Republic of China subsidizes much of the country’s fishing activity, which routinely violates the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal nations, Share America said in its statement.
In Washington, Admiral Karl Schultz, the 26th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, briefed reporters on Oct. 20 about U.S. efforts to uphold international maritime governance in the Pacific. He also discussed strengthening U.S. partnerships with nations whose economies and natural resources are threatened by the illegal fishing practices of predatory countries across the globe.
Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Global Fishing Watch warn that IUU fishing causes billions of dollars in losses worldwide, reduces fish stocks, and jeopardizes marine ecosystems, food security and the livelihoods of legitimate fishing communities that depend on seafood as a primary source of income and dietary protein.
Schultz warned that IUU fishing is “symptomatic of a larger security vulnerability,” particularly for coastal states “who have limited capacity to patrol their maritime domain or apprehend and prosecute criminal actors.” IUU fishing often happens with other illicit behaviors, including the atrocities of human trafficking and forced labor, as well as the smuggling of illegal substances. However, Schultz said, collective action can “eradicate this threat to our collective prosperity.”
While citing the ecological threat to the Galápagos Islands from PRC fishing vessels, Schultz noted that fishing by such vessels off of South America or elsewhere isn’t always illegal. However, “when it moves into a host nation’s seas without permission, then we start to have some problems.”
Tabitha Mallory, a professor at the University of Washington who specializes in PRC foreign and environmental policy, said Beijing has taken some corrective measures, but not enough.
“The biggest developments have been [the PRC] decision in 2017 to cap the fleet at 3,000, though they have not capped total [fishing] capacity, and the revision of their distant-water fishing regulations earlier this year to include language on IUU fishing for the first time,” she said.
Mallory said these moves have been in response to international pressure following incidents such as the high-profile sinking of a PRC fishing vessel by the Argentine Coast Guard in 2016.
Fishing subsidies from the PRC to their fishing fleet were an estimated 27% of the world’s total fishing subsidies in 2018. “Fishing subsidies make the industry profitable when it wouldn’t be otherwise, and that leads to overfishing and IUU fishing, " Mallory said.
“It’s important that everyone recognize that sustainable fishing is in the long-term interests of everyone on the planet, including China,” she said.
---------------------------------
What should governments do to prevent illegal fishing in their countries? We would like to
know your thoughts on this story. Send your
comments to news@amcostarica.com
|
