China’s notorious distant fishing fleet appears to be undertaking a major global expansion, particularly into Africa’s already over-fished waters.
The issue is sparking disputes between China and countries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, where some leaders are now publicly challenging the presence of the fleet in their territorial waters.
Last year, the Argentinian navy opened fire on a Chinese fishing trawler that had crossed into its territorial waters. More recently, Ecuadorian president Lenín Moreno deployed his own naval forces to the Galapagos Islands to monitor the presence of 260 Chinese fishing vessels in the area.
The situation is equally grave in Africa, particularly in West Africa, where Chinese vessels have been appearing at a steady pace over the past several months:
April: Six new Chinese vessels heading to Senegal, Guinea Bissau for tuna, shrimp
July: Arrival of Chinese ‘supertrawlers’ raises concern in Liberia
August: Three new Chinese vessels Morocco-bound
In Liberia, a major dispute over the presence of the Chinese super trawlers is underway between the government, a fishermen’s union, and workers. Last month, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NAAFA) denied the Chinese vessels a license to fish in Liberian waters. The NAAFA was pleased with the decision as they contend the Chinese engage in illegal overfishing that threatens their members’ livelihoods.
But the fisheries authority’s decision angered a local seamen’s union who launched a series of protests last week to denounce the government on the grounds that these trawlers provided badly-needed employment.
It looks like those six trawlers may eventually receive permission to fish in Liberia. Regulators say once the Chinese fishing companies have resolved a few “technical issues” they’ll be granted the necessary licenses.
Senegal also recently confronted this issue when it denied licenses for 52 Chinese trawlers with no appeal granted. In Ghana, fishing authorities are evaluating whether to grant permits to three Ghanaian-flagged Chinese-owned vessels.
ODI Report: Background on China’s Distant Water Fishing Fleet;
SIZE OF THE FLEET: “Our results suggest that the scale, scope, and impact of China’s DWF activities are significantly larger than has been previously understood. At 16,966 vessels, we estimate that the Chinese DWF fleet is 5–8 times larger than previous studies suggest.” (OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE).
GHANA IS THE DWF HUB IN AFRICA: “With 137 ships, Ghana has the largest registry of Chinese DWF vessels outside China; 121 of these are trawlers. More than a quarter of those on our list of Chinese DWF vessels that are flagged to African countries fly the Ghanaian flag.” (OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE).
Source: chinaafricaproject
