Page 55 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - August/September 2017

Overfishing Is Destroying the Oceans 55

China has fished itself out sole rights to pursue economic activity. In the mainland.)
March 2016, Argentinian patrol units sank the Many nations have taken steps to
of its own waters, so Chinese fishing boat Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 as it impede bottom trawling, largely because it is a

attempted to flee into international waters after disaster for marine ecosystems. For example,
Chinese fishermen are allegedly trawling illegally off the coast of the Chile permanently banned this fishing method
now sticking their rods in Argentinian city Puerto Madryn. Recently, in in 2015, while other countries like Indonesia
light of illegal Chinese vessels draining the have imposed limited bans.
other nations’ seas supply of fish, Somali fishermen have turned to According to the Food and Agriculture
piracy. And in November 2016, members of the Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the
South Korean coast guard opened fire on two world’s commercial fish stocks that exist at
by Matthew Sedacca
Chinese fishing vessels that had threatened to biologically sustainable levels has declined
ram patrol boats in the Yellow Sea near from 90% in 1974 to 68.6% in 2013. In other
Incheon—not a month after Chinese fishermen words, nearly one-third of global commercial
The growth of China’s middle class over the rammed and sank a South Korean speedboat in fish stocks are already being overfished.
past 15 years or so has driven up demand for all the same area. In the same 2016 report, the FAO noted
sorts of luxury goods in the country. For Reporters have drawn connections that in 2014, China accounted for just over 18%
example, there’s been a growing interest in between the string of South Korean skirmishes of the global marine catch; by 2030, China is
high-quality seafood—which comes at a most and political tension around the South China Sea projected to account for 38% of global marine
inopportune time. (China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, catch, more than double any other region (the
But in order to sate its population’s Brunei, and Malaysia all have claims over parts FAO counts China as a single region—the
rising desire for nice pieces of fish—and to of this body of water). But it’s also clear Chinese others are Europe and Central Asia; North
continue exporting seafood abroad to trading fishermen are desperate for new sources of fresh America; Latin America and Caribbean; Japan;
nations—the Middle Kingdom’s fishing vessels catch. Within China’s own exclusive economic “other East Asia and the Pacific”; Southeast
have resorted to catch throughout the high seas zone, the nation has lost “one-half of its coastal Asia; India; “other South Asia”; Middle East
(i.e., international waters) and, possibly through wetlands, 57% of mangroves, and 80% of coral and North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; and the
illegal practices, in other countries’ coastal reefs, most of which are critical spawning, “rest of the world”).
domains. nursing, or feeding grounds for fish,” according During a 2013 visit to Tanmen, a fishing
Efforts to boost China’s marine to a 2016 study undertaken by a team of village on Hainan island in the South China Sea,
economy in recent decades, including offshore international experts. Chinese president Xi Jinping urged his nation’s
drilling and unsustainable fishing practices like That’s thanks to trawling, a practice in fishermen to “build bigger ships and venture
trawling, has resulted in a dramatic depletion of which fishermen drag long nets along the ocean even farther into the oceans and catch bigger
its own fishing stock. Efforts have been made in floor and kill practically any living thing in their fish.” Chinese fishermen took these messages to
response to this environmental damage: Since path. In addition to destroying coral reefs and heart. They upped their distant-water fishing—
the 1990s, Beijing has implemented an annual the habitats necessary for healthy ocean wildlife sourcing catches out on the high seas and in the
summer moratorium on fishing in the South populations, fishermen discard the bycatch, the commercial fishing territories of other
China Sea, and agriculture minister Han sea creatures accidentally trapped in theirs nets. countries.
Changfu recently announced plans to cut back This unintended catch can include endangered According to a 2016 report by the
on the size of the world’s largest fishing fleet to species like sea turtles, as well as “trash fish,” environmental watchdog organization
protect its stocks. (China’s Ministry of species of edible fish that many in China (and in Greenpeace, the Middle Kingdom’s total
Agriculture did not respond to a request for other countries) do not want to eat. (Some number of fishing boats sailing on the high seas
comment.) Chinese fishermen try to turn a profit off their and in other countries’ coastal areas runs just
In 2016, a number of Chinese fishing bycatch, trading trash fish to West African under 2,500. That’s approximately 10 times the
vessels were shot at for fishing in other nations’ citizens in exchange for labor or selling them to size of the entire US distant water commercial
exclusive economic zones, areas of water off fish meal processors in China; sea turtles, on the fishing fleet.
countries’ coastlines where those countries have other hand, can be sold on the black market in (Continued on Page 56)