China has one of the largest fishing fleets in the world: there are dozens of vessels spread across different parts of the planet. However, its activities have been accused of depleting fish stocks, violating maritime laws and abusing human rights in various regions, especially in West Africa and Latin America.
According to a study published in 2020 by the British NGO Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the Chinese fleet comprises around 17,000 boats. In its report released in 2022, the British NGO Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) pointed out that this giant fleet is responsible for predatory fishing in West African countries and has directly contributed to the decrease in the fishing volume of thousands of people who live in these regions and depend on this activity to support their families.
According to an article published and 2021 on the website The Maritime Executive, which covers cases related to maritime activities, in Ghana, the country most affected by Chinese predatory fishing in West Africa, fish represents about 60% of the animal protein consumed annually by the population. In addition, 200 villages located in coastal regions of the country depend on fishing as their main source of income – which represents about 9% of the Ghanaian population, 2.7 million people.
However, according to the EJF, intense fishing carried out mostly by Chinese people has caused the average annual income of local fishermen to drop by around 40% over the past 15 years.
Species such as sardinella have suffered a decrease of 80% in the last two decades. The species sardinella aurita has already completely collapsed in the country. Overfishing has caused fish stocks to begin to deplete, driving up prices and intensifying food insecurity in Ghana.
Studies claim that in a single day, a Chinese trawler (fishing vessel) with high technology alone can catch up to five times more fish than an entire fleet from a small local fishing village would catch in a year. In addition to overfishing, these Chinese trawlers are also accused of causing shipwrecks and deliberately destroying the fishing nets of competing boats and illegally fishing in Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), both in Ghana and in neighboring countries such as Senegal and Liberia.
The EJF estimated that China’s offshore fishing fleet catches more than 2.5 million tonnes of fish per year in West Africa, which would be generating more than US$2 billion in profit for the Chinese and an unprecedented loss for African households that depend on fishing.
Declining fish stocks not only threaten the food security and livelihoods of Africans living in the coastal region, but also affect the marine ecosystem and biodiversity of these areas. Some species, such as sharks, stingrays and turtles, are captured and soon afterwards discarded or sold illegally.
In Latin America, the fishing fleet in waters far from China has also generated anger and concern among local fishermen and authorities. In 2020, a fleet of more than 400 Chinese vessels was sighted near the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that forms part of Ecuador.
The fleet has been accused by conservation group Oceana of “plundering” the waters in search of squid, a key species in the food chain and local economy. Oceana also claimed that some of the Chinese vessels had disabled their public tracking devices, which could be a sign of illicit activities.
At the time, China claimed to have a “zero tolerance” policy towards illegal fishing and proposed a ban on fishing near the Galápagos between September and November of that year. However, when the Chinese fleet moved south towards Peruvian waters, it was the turn of Peruvian fishermen to become indignant, as they feared that Chinese vessels would overfish the squid they depend on for their income.
Also in December 2020, four South American countries with coastlines on the Pacific – Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – joined forces to combat illegal fishing. They issued a joint statement saying they would work together “to prevent, discourage and jointly confront” any attempt at illegal fishing. They did not mention China or Chinese fishing boats in their statement.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal countries have jurisdiction over the natural resources within their EEZs, which means that Chinese boats are free to pass through the waters but not to fish.
Violations of human rights
In addition to environmental and economic impacts, the fishing fleet in waters far from China has also been linked to human rights violations on board its vessels. In Ghana, for example, the EJF report documented instances of abuse, corruption and death among Ghanaian crew working on Chinese-owned trawlers.
The report found that some Ghanaian fishermen received wages as low as US$50 a month. They worked up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week and also faced physical violence, verbal abuse, lack of protective equipment, inadequate food and water, as well as denial of medical care. Some even died as a result of excessive work on the boats and were thrown into the sea.
The EJF also exposed how some Chinese companies used Ghanaian shell companies to register their vessels as local in order to circumvent laws prohibiting foreign ownership or control of industrial trawlers in Ghana. This practice not only undermines the sovereignty and management of the African country’s fisheries, but also deprives it of millions of dollars in revenue.
Chinese predatory fishing in Ghana is also facilitated by the lack of enforcement. Many Chinese ships fly false flags and licenses or licenses from Ghanaian companies. They also bribe local authorities to avoid fines and inspections.
A BBC report reported the story of Bright Tsai Kweku, a boatswain who has witnessed numerous cases of abuse and neglect by the crew of Chinese ships. Kweku told the BBC that Ghanaian fishermen are “beaten, spat on and kicked by their bosses”. They are also forced to work without sleep, food or clean water.
The boatswain reported that he saw three colleagues die on different Chinese ships. One of them contracted cholera and did not receive medical attention, another was killed by a fire on board and the third was hit by a propeller. None of the victims’ families were compensated.
Both the EJF and other NGOs have been demanding urgent action from China to regulate and monitor its fishing fleets in distant waters. The organizations call for the country to comply with international laws and standards and call for more transparency and accountability in the fisheries sector, as well as stronger cooperation between regional and global actors to protect the oceans and their resources.
The Chinese, for their part, said they work to “promote sustainable fishing and responsible management of their fishing fleet in distant waters”. They also pledged to cooperate with other countries to “combat illegal fishing and promote marine conservation”.
However, critics of the Chinese regime claim that the actions of the communist authorities do not match their words, and that more concrete and effective measures are needed to curb their overfishing and its effects on the environment and human rights.
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