Management of Distant Water Fisheries in China: New Developments

Distant water fisheries in China encompass two kinds of distinct fisheries: one operating within EEZs of coastal states, and another operating on the high seas. The year of 2016, which is the first year of China’s 13th... [ view full abstract ]

Distant water fisheries in China encompass two kinds of distinct fisheries: one operating within EEZs of coastal states, and another operating on the high seas. The year of 2016, which is the first year of China’s 13^th Five-Year Plan Period lasting to 2020, marked a watershed for China’s distant water fisheries (DWF). In that year, two serious illegal fishing issues happened, attracting attentions at home and abroad, with one of them escalating instantly into a diplomatic incident. Consequently, new rules were introduced. First, a ‘zero tolerance’ policy was adopted. Until the end of 2017, 264 fishing vessels belonging to 78 Chinese distant water fishing companies received severe penalties and saw 700 million RMB (approximately 110 million US dollars) subsidies cancelled for their violations of either laws and regulations of coastal states or conservation and management measures adopted by relevant regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs). Second, a blacklist of persons engaging in serious violations was developed; 15 persons were included in the first list of this kind, which was released by theMinistry of Agriculture in May 2017. Third, Guidelines for National Distant-Water Fisheries Development in the 13^th Five Years were released in November 2017, laying out specific objectives and roadmaps for both kinds of DWF, and notably putting ceilings on the total number of vessels. All of these developments were made possible through the cooperation and support of relevant countries and organizations. At the same time, China is now active in establishing bilateral governmental mechanisms and engaging with RFMOs.